Art islands on the plateau: rock art site complexes in the Jawoyn Lands of the Arnhem Land Plateau

The surface of the Arnhem Land Plateau, northern Australia, contains numerous rock outcrops of varying size and geomorphic complexity. Erosion of these isolated outcrops has led to the development of discrete clusters of rockshelters that have become foci for Aboriginal use (site complexes). The clusters stand as islands within an archaeologically sparse sand plain. Here we investigate the distribution and patterns of use of rockshelters within 36 site clusters on the plateau. We established that their pattern of use is similar to that found in many other areas of Australia: a major site within a suite of smaller satellite sites. We also found that the quantity of rock art varies greatly between complexes, generally in proportion to the number of shelters present, and that local concentrations tend to occur where surface erosion is greatest. It is argued that, over the past 14,000 years at least, the larger rockshelters with high-motif numbers were the most frequently used and also that they lay along well-travelled pathways across the plateau. The role and uses of the smaller shelters, while clearly different from the main art shelters, remains unclear.