Peter Hiscock

1. Introduction.		6. Work in the Northern Territory.
2. Desert archaeology.		7. Research into artefacts.
3. PhD research at Lawn Hill.		8. Science and archaeology.
4. Work on trade systems in western Queensland.		9. Teaching at ANU.
5. Research in the Brisbane region.		10. Current research group.
		11. List of publications.

 

Peter Hiscock has specialised in the analysis of stone artefacts, the investigation of Australian prehistory, and the development of methods and theory for the pursuit of scientific archaeology.

Much of his early fieldwork involved surveys, site recording and excavation in the south Australian desert north of Woomera. Here he was involved in large archaeological projects with Dr Philip Hughes (then of ANU). Together with Dr Hughes he established a detailed model of prehistoric settlement in the linear dunefields west of Andamooka and Lake Torrens. This research has continued intermittently since 1980, and in 1997 Hughes and Hiscock were still carrying out fieldwork to refine their model.

Hughes directing site recording in the desert	Hughes looks at artefacts in a deflation

Peter undertook research towards his doctorate in the Department of Anthropology, University of Queensland, working with Dr H.J.Hall. Peter began a study of the prehistoric exploitation of the semi-arid landscape near Lawn Hill in the Gulf of Carpentaria, Queensland (a selection of photographs is available). After excavations at a number of sites (including the now famous Colless Creek Cave and Louie Creek Cave) he arrived at two key conclusions: 1. That the glacial maximum (ie. the height of the last ice age, about 16-18,000 years ago) was a time when humans living in arid and semi-arid landscapes were severely stressed, and in many instances these people either gave up their land or adopted very specific strategies focussed on refuges. In other regions work by other researchers has confirmed this conclusion. 2. Prehistoric exploitation of the landscape, and particularly the way in which artefacts were made and used, were closely tied to the distribution and nature of sources of stone from which artefacts could be made. By examining the debris at quarries it was possible to not only describe the general sequence of reduction but also to define the solutions that knappers applied to solve problems they encounter. A series of refitted knapping floors at increasing distances from quarries reveal the progressive modification of bifacial points and cores as material is transported through the landscape. An example of this modification is the progressive conversion of unifacial points into bifacial points as they are carried across the lanscape. This pattern is shown in the image shown here, reproduced from a forthcoming paper (Hiscock, P. in press Australian point and core reduction viewed through refitting. In M. de Bie and U.Schurman (eds) The Big Puzzle revisited. British Archaeological Reports).

In 1987 Peter carried out research for the Queensland Museum into the cultural resources of Boulia, in western Queensland. In this previously unexplored region he was able to not only map the variation in archaeological material across the landscape, but also discuss the production of objects for trade up to 1,000 years go. Photograph to the right shows the sequence (bottom to top) of manufacture and resharpening for specimens of the woodworking item called a tula. These artefacts were being manufactured and stored for trade in the Boulia region. Peter has examined the manufacturing patterns of the tula not only in western Queensland but also in the famous site of Puntutjarpa in Western Australia. With Peter Veth he was able to show that a technological understanding of the artefacts clarified the identification and estimated age of tulas. (See Hiscock,P., and P.Veth 1991 Change in the Australian Desert Culture: a reanalysis of tulas from Puntutjarpa. World Archaeology 22(3):332-345. - View a copy in .pdf format)

After completing his PhD in 1988 Dr Hiscock worked with Dr Hall on MRAP Stage II, a project funded by a large ARC grant. This project investigated changes in land use and political territories in the greater Brisbane area over the last 10,000 years. Hall and Hiscock excavated Bushrangers Cave, and demonstrated a long history of human occupation in the sub-coastal zone. They concluded that following sea-level stabilisation population size grew and fissioned into a number of new social groups.
General view of Bushrangers Cave	Archaeological excavations in Bushrangers cave

From 1989-1997 Dr Hiscock was employed at the Northern Territory University in Darwin. In addition to teaching undergraduate units he supervised a large number of post-graduates who were investigating Holocene archaeology across northern Australia (Scott Mitchell, Peter Thorley, Fiona Mowat, Greg Bowen, Robin Gregory, Sally Brockwell, Daryl Guse, Trish Burns, Chris Clarkson and Lara Lamb). While based in Darwin Hiscock initiated two pieces of archaeological research:

1. Kakadu Wetlands Archaeological Survey, which explored the artefact assemblages in the lowlands between the East Alligator and West Alligator Rivers in Western Arnhem Land. This project identified assemblage variation on open sites and examined the way in which this reflected settlement structure and mobility levels (see Hiscock, P. 1996 Mobility and technology in the Kakadu coastal wetlands. Bulletin of the Indo-Pacific Prehistory Association 15:151-157. - View a copy in .pdf format)

2. Darwin Regional Archaeology Project, which examined shell mounds and artefact scatters near Darwin Harbour. Large scale excavations were undertaken at a number of sites, including the Bayview Haven Mound 1 (shown to the right). These sites reveal intensive coastal resource use until 900-1,000 years ago, when many sites were abandoned following the formation of continuous mangrove forests in the harbour. (Read about this in .pdf format)

Peter has pursued an interest in methods by which archaeologists can interpret atone artefacts they find. This began with a consideration of the limitations present in typological analyses, a theoretical concern that has continued in recent publications (see Hiscock in press - (View a copy in .pdf format), and in historical reviews (eg. Hiscock 1998 - (View a copy in .pdf format), and Hiscock and Clarkson 2000 - (View a copy in .pdf format). Methodological issues that have been explored include the effect of taphonomic processes on atone artefacts (eg. Hiscock 1985 - View a copy in .pdf format, and Hiscock 2002 - View a copy in .pdf format), the importance of sampling for archaeological analyses (eg. Hiscock 2001 - View a copy in .pdf format), and the approaches to reconstructing production systems (eg. Hiscock in press - View a copy in .pdf format, and Hiscock 1996 - View a copy in .pdf format).

During the 1990’s Peter Hiscock investigated the nature of prehistoric artefacts. In Australia his work concentrated on exploring the apparently standardised artefact forms that appeared in Australia during the last 10,000 years. In 1993 he suggested that many of the changes in artefacts through time reflected changes in the degree to which materials were conserved. In 1994 he advanced the proposition that such changes acted to reduce risk attached to exploiting new environments (see paper in html format or View a copy in .pdf format). More recently he has worked with Dr Val Attenbrow to define the chronology of these processes. In 1998 they published an article demonstrating the manufacture of backed artefacts in the early Holocene (see photographs of the specimens ). This is part of a new project aiming to evaluate the trajectories of technological change in the Sydney Basin region. An early result of the project has been the demonstration that retouched flakes (often called 'scrapers') display a morphological continuum, and that this continuum is largely explained as a reflection of different levels of reduction (see Hiscock, P. and V.Attenbrow 2003 - View a copy in .pdf format or 2002 -View a copy in .pdf format). This means that a fundamental question about assemblage composition and artefact variation is whether in any particular region or assemblage morphological variation takes the form of a segmented or continuous pattern. Furthermore, the demonstration of an Australian technology structured around continuous reduction without evidence of ‘imposed form’ reveals that this pattern is widespread and should not be taken to represent an ‘archaic’ approach to stone working. This conclusion had implications for archaeological interpretation of material in Europe and Africa. A separate web site describes the Eastern Sequence Project Hiscock and Attenbrow are undertaking.

At the same time as he pursued this work in Australia Peter Hiscock has investigated the prehistoric technology at Haua Fteah, a large cave site in Libya (shown right). The first results of this work are that some of the shaped Palaeolithic artefacts are transformed from one class of implement to another. This first paper on the Haua Fteah study was Hiscock, P. 1996 Transformations of Upper Palaeolithic implements in the Dabba industry from Haua Fteah (Libya). Antiquity 70:657-664. The arguments about morphological transformations in the Upper Palaeolithic contribute to a broader understanding about the interpretation of assemblage form and variation. In particular this paper is yet another demonstration that static implement typology is a very poor measure of the dynamics of stone artefact manufacture and the structure of archaeological assemblages.

Another of Dr Hiscock’s interests is the nature of archaeological science, and the way in which it articulates with and is threatened by views which advocate unscientific approaches, such as unconventional archaeology. To illustrate these dilemmas he published, in 1996, an article describing New Age views of prehistory. Underlaying much advocacy of unscientific views of archaeology is a failure to fully understand what constitutes modern scientific research, the subject of his course on cience and myths of the Human past (see below).

In 1997 Dr Hiscock took up his current lecturing position in the School of Archaeology and Anthropology at ANU. He now teaches a number of undergraduate courses that relate to his research expertise:

ARCH2004	ARCH2036	ARCH3017
Australian Archaeology	Understanding early technology	Archaeological artefact analysis

ARCH2035	ARCH3005	ARCH2006
Archaeological formation processes	Science and myths of the Human past	History of Archaeology: Discovering the Past

Current research group: In addition to undergraduate teaching Peter supervises a number of research students undertaking archaeological research for higher degrees at ANU:

Brit Amussen (PhD) - Taphonomic analysis of Central Queensland archaeological sites.

Sophie Collins (PhD) - Examination of usewear patterning through experiments.

Oliver McGregor (PhD) - Exploration of mechanical limits to reduction of stone artefacts.

Ladislav Nejman (PhD) - Middle to Upper Palaeolithic transition in the Czech republic.

Helen Selemiotis (MPhil) - Core analysis of Ceri Bui Uarto in East Timor.

Pat Faulkner (PhD) - Coastal foraging in eastern Arnhem Land.

Nina Kononenko (PhD) - Functional studies of Melanesian artefacts.

Alex Mackay (PhD) - Examinations of Palaeolithic assemblage variability in Southern Africa.

Past research students:

Patricia Bourke (PhD) - Late Holocene Indigenous Economies of the Tropical Australian Coast.

Greg Bowen (MA) - Culture shock: a prehistory of the Magela floodplain, Kakadu National Park.

Sally Brockwell (PhD) - .

Chris Clarkson (PhD) - Stoneworking technology in Wardaman Country, Northern Territory.

Charles Dearling (MA) - Aboriginal exploitation of the Bega Valley in recent prehistory.

Lara Lamb (PhD) - Artefact production at the South Molle Quarry, Queensland.

Boone Law (MPhil) - Technological change in Central Australia.

Matthew Leavesley (PhD) - .

Scott Mitchell (PhD) - Culture contact and indigenous economies on the Coburg Peninsula, Northwest Arnhem Land.

Fiona Mowat (MA) - Variability in western Arnhem Land shell midden deposits.

Ken Mulvaney (MA) - More than a chip off the old block.

Peter Thorley (PhD) - .

Hiscock, P. 2008 Archaeology of Ancient Australia. Routledge: London.
View the book on the Routledge site (you can order it there too).
View the book on Amazon.com

Hiscock, P. and C. Clarkson 2007 Retouched notches at Combe Grenal (France) and the Reduction Hypothesis. American Antiquity 72: 176-190. (View full text as pdf)

Hiscock, P. 2007 Looking the other way. A materialist/technological approach to classifying tools and implements, cores and retouched flakes. Pp. 198-222 in S. McPherron (ed.) Tools versus Cores? Alternative approaches to Stone Tool Analysis. Cambridge Scholars Publishing. (View full text as pdf)

Hiscock, P. 2007 Australian point and core reduction viewed through refitting. Pp. 105-118 in M. de Bie and U.Schurman (eds) Fitting Rocks. Lithic refitting examined. British Archaeological Reports. International Monograph Series 1596. Oxford: Archaeopress. (View full text as pdf)

Hiscock, P. 2006 Comment: The Missing Mousterian, Current Anthropology 47: 789-790.

Hiscock, P. and P. Faulkner 2006 Dating the dreaming? Creation of myths and rituals for mounds along the northern Australian coastline. Cambridge Archaeological Journal 16:209-22. (View full text as pdf)

Hiscock, P. 2006 Blunt and to the Point: Changing technological strategies in Holocene Australia. Pp. 69-95 in I. Lilley (ed.) Archaeology in Oceania: Australia and the Pacific Islands. Blackwell. (View a copy in .pdf format)

Hiscock, P. and V. Attenbrow 2005 Australia's Eastern Regional Sequence revisited: Technology and change at Capertee 3. British Archaeological Reports. International Monograph Series 1397. Oxford:Archaeopress. ISBN 1 84171 836 X. (Click for information)

Hiscock, P. 2005. Artefacts on Aru: evaluating the technological sequences. Pp. 205-234 in S. O'Connor, M. Spriggs and P. Veth The archaeology of the Aru Islands, Eastern Indonesia.Terra Australis 22. Pandanus Books, Australian National University.

Hiscock, P. and C. Clarkson 2005. Experimental evaluation of Kuhn's Geometric Index of Reduction and the flat-flake problem. Journal of Archaeological Science 32:1015-1022. (View a copy in .pdf format)

Hiscock, P. 2005 Standardized axe manufacture at Mount Isa. Pp.287-300 in I.Macfarlane, M. Mountain and R. Paton (eds) Many Exchanges: archaeology, history, community and the work of Isabel McBryde. Aboriginal History monograph 11.

Hiscock, P. 2005 Reverse knapping in the Antipodes: The spatial implications of alternate approaches to knapping. Pp. 35-39 in Xavier Terradas (editor) L'outillage lithique en contextes ethnoarchéologiques / Lithic Toolkits in Ethnoarchaeological Contexts. Acts of the XIVth UISPP Congress, University of Liège, Belgium, 2-8 September 2001, Colloque / Symposium 1.4. British Archaeological Reports. International Monograph Series, S1370. Oxford:Archaeopress. (View a copy in .pdf format)

Bellwood, P. and P. Hiscock 2005. Australia and the Austronesians. Pp. 264-305 in C.Scarre (editor) The human past. World prehistory and the development of human societies. Thames and Hudson.

Hiscock, P. and S. O'Connor 2005. Arid paradises or dangerous landscapes. A review of explanations for Paleolithic assemblage change in arid Australia and Africa. Pp. 58-77 in P.Veth, M.Smith and P.Hiscock (eds) Desert Peoples: Archaeological perspectives. Blackwell. (View a copy in .pdf format)

Hiscock, P. and L. Wallis 2005. Pleistocene settlement of deserts from an Australian perspective. Pp. 34-57 in P.Veth, M.Smith and P.Hiscock (eds) Desert Peoples: archaeological perspectives. Blackwell. (View a copy in .pdf format)

Veth, P., M.Smith, Hiscock, P. and L. Wallis 2005. Global deserts in Perspective. Pp. 1-13 in P.Veth, M.Smith and P.Hiscock (eds) Desert Peoples: Archaeological perspectives. Blackwell.

Hiscock, P. and V. Attenbrow 2005. Reduction continuums and tool use. Pp. 43-55 in Clarkson, C. and L. Lamb (eds) Lithics 'Down Under': Recent Australian Approaches to Lithic Reduction, Use and Classification. British Archaeological Reports International Monograph Series. Oxford:Archaeopress. (View a copy in .pdf format)

Hiscock, P. and C. Clarkson 2005. Measuring artefact reduction: an examination of Kuhn's Geometric Index of Reduction. Pp. 7-19 in Clarkson, C. and L. Lamb (eds) Lithics 'Down Under': Recent Australian Approaches to Lithic Reduction, Use and Classification. British Archaeological Reports International Monograph Series. Oxford:Archaeopress. (View a copy in .pdf format)

Bulbeck, D., I. Sumatri, and P. Hiscock 2005 Leang Sakapao 1, a second dated Pleistocene site from South Sulawesi, Indonesia. Modern Quaternary Research in Southeast Asia 18:111-128.

Hughes, P.J. and P. Hiscock 2005 The Archaeology of the Lake Eyre South Area. Pp.1-20 in Archaeology of the Lake Eyre SOuth Region. Lake Eyre SOuth Monograph Series Volume 6. Royal Geographical Society of South Australia inc.

Hiscock, P. 2005 Coastal cowboys: the development of speculative models of molluscan midden matter in the Darwin region. Pp. 19-28 in Patricia Bourke, Sally Brockwell and Clayton Fredericksen (edistors) DARWIN ARCHAEOLOGY: Aboriginal, Asian and European Heritage of Australia's Top End. Charles Darwin University Press, Darwin.

Hiscock, P. 2004 Slippery and Billy: intention, selection and equifinality in lithic artefacts. Cambridge Archaeological Journal 14:71-77.(View a copy in .pdf format)

Hiscock, P. and V. Attenbrow 2004 A revised sequence of backed artefact production at Capertee 3. Archaeology in Oceania 39:94-99.(View a copy in .pdf format)

Hiscock, P. 2003 Quantitative exploration of size variation and the extent of reduction in Sydney Basin assemblages: A tale from the Henry Lawson Drive Rockshelter. Australian Archaeology 57:64-74. (View a copy in .pdf format)

Hiscock, P. and V.Attenbrow 2003 Early Australian implement variation: a reduction model. Journal of Archaeological Science 30(2): 239-249. (View a copy in .pdf format)

Hiscock, P. 2003 Prehistoric Populations: Australia and the Pacific. Pp. 796-798 in P.Demeny and G.McNicoll (eds) Encyclopedia of Population. Volume 2. Macmillan Reference USA. (View a copy in .pdf format)

Hiscock, P. 2002 Pattern and context in the Holocene proliferation of backed artefacts in Australia. Pp. 163-177 in Robert G. Elston and Steven L. Kuhn (eds) Thinking Small: Global Perspectives on Microlithization. Archaeological Papers of the American Anthropological Association (AP3A) number 12. (View a copy in .pdf format)

Hiscock, P. 2002 Quantifying the size of artefact assemblages. Journal of Archaeological Science 29: 251-258. (View a copy in .pdf format)

Hiscock, P. and V.Attenbrow 2002 Reduction continuums in Eastern Australia: measurement and implications at Capertee 3. In Sean Ulm (ed.) Barriers, Borders, Boundaries. Tempus volume 7. Pp.167-174. University of Queensland. (View a copy in .pdf format)

Hiscock, P. 2002 Kolonisierung des 5. Kontinents. Archäologie in Deutschland 2002.2:14-17.

Hiscock, P. 2001 Sizing up prehistory: sample size and composition of artefact assemblages. Australian Aboriginal Studies 2001/ 1:48-62. (View a copy in .pdf format)

Hiscock, P. 2001 Late Australian. Encyclopedia of Prehistory. Volume III. Pp.132-149. Plenum Press.(View a copy in .pdf format)

Hiscock, P. 2001 Early Australian. Encyclopedia of Prehistory. Volume III. Pp.18-22. Plenum Press.(View a copy in .pdf format)

Hiscock, P. 2001 Australian prehistory. Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia. Grolier Inc.

Hiscock, P. and P.J. Hughes 2001 Prehistoric and World War Two use of shell mounds in Darwin Harbour. Australian Archaeology 52:41-45.

Hiscock, P. and H. Allen 2000 Assemblage variability in the Willandra Lakes. Archaeology in Oceania 35:97-103.(View a copy in .pdf format)

Hiscock, P. and C. Clarkson 2000 Analysing Australian stone artefacts: An agenda for the twenty first century. Australian Archaeology 50:98-108.(View a copy in .pdf format)

Publications in press

Hiscock, Peter and Alison Mercieca, (in press). Thermal Fracturing: Experimental Investigations and Archaeological Implications, In Learning from Once Hot Rocks, Jeff D. Leach (ed), Archaeopress, BAR - see http://www.cookstonetechnology.com/hiscock.htm

Hughes, P. and P. Hiscock (in press) The archaeology of the Lake Eyre South Area. In Aboriginal Occupation of the Lake Eyre South Region: Ethnography and Archaeology. Lake Eyre Monograph Series, Volume 6 (part 2). Royal Geographical Society of South Australia Inc.

Other selected publications

Hiscock, P. 1999 Holocene coastal occupation of Western Arnhem Land. Pp. 91-103 in J. Hall and I. McNiven (eds) Australian Coastal Archaeology, ANH Publications, Department of Archaeology and Natural History, Australian National University. (View a copy in .pdf format)

Hiscock, P. 1998 Revitalising artefact analysis. In T. Murray (ed) Archaeology of Aboriginal Australia. Pp.257-265. Sydney, Unwin and Allen. (View a copy in .pdf format)

Hiscock, P. and V.Attenbrow 1998 Early Holocene Backed Artefacts from Australia. Archaeology in Oceania 33:49-63. (View a copy in .pdf format)

Hiscock, P. 1997 Archaeological evidence for environmental change in Darwin Harbour. In R.Hanley, G.Caswell, D.Megirian and H.K.Larson (ed). The marine flora and fauna of Darwin Harbour, Northern Territory. Proceedings of the Sixth International Marine Biological Workshop. Pp.445-449. Museum and Art Galleries of the Northern Territory, Darwin, Australia. (View a copy in .pdf format)

Hiscock, P. 1996 Australian Mines. In B.M. Fagan (ed) The Oxford Companion to Archaeology. Pp.472-473. Oxford University Press. (View a copy in .pdf format)

Hiscock, P. 1996 Transformations of Upper Palaeolithic implements in the Dabba industry from Haua Fteah (Libya). Antiquity 70:657-664. (View as html) (View a copy in .pdf format)

Hiscock, P. 1996 The New Age of alternative archaeology of Australia. Archaeology in Oceania 31(3):152-164. (View as html) (View a copy in .pdf format)

Hiscock, P. 1996 The creation of time. Archaeology in Oceania 31(3):101-102.

Hiscock, P. 1996 Mobility and technology in the Kakadu coastal wetlands. Bulletin of the Indo-Pacific Prehistory Association 15:151-157. (View a copy in .pdf format)

Hiscock, P. and V. Attenbrow 1996 Backed into a corner. Australian Archaeology 42:64-65. (View as html) (View a copy in .pdf format)

Veth, P. and P. Hiscock (eds) 1996 Archaeology of Northern Australia. TEMPUS Volume 4. University of Queensland.

Hiscock, P. 1994 Technological responses to risk in Holocene Australia. Journal of World Prehistory 8(3):267-292. (View as html) (View a copy in .pdf format)

Hiscock, P. 1994 The end of Points. In M.Sullivan, S.Brockwell and A.Webb (eds) Archaeology in the North. Pp.72-83. North Australia Research Unit, Australian National University. (View as html)

Hiscock,P. 1994 Coming to terms with the Northern Territory Heritage Conservation Act 1991. Australian Archaeology 38:55-60.

Hiscock,P. and I.Walters 1994 Archaeology at the Northern Territory University: update 1993. Australian Archaeology 38:51-55

Hiscock,P. and S.Mitchell 1993 Stone artefact quarries and reduction sites in Australia: Towards a type profile. Australian Heritage Commission. Australian Government Publishing Service.

Hiscock,P. and F.Mowat 1993 Midden variability in the coastal portion of the Kakadu region. Australian Archaeology 37:18-24. (View a copy in .pdf format)

Hiscock,P. 1993 Bondaian technology in the Hunter Valley, New South Wales. Archaeology in Oceania 28(2):64-75. (View a copy in .pdf format)

Hiscock,P. 1993 The distribution of points within Nauwalabila 1. The Beagle 10:173-178. (View a copy in .pdf format)

Hiscock,P. F.Mowat and D.Guse 1992 Settlement patterns in the Kakadu Wetlands: initial data on site size and shape. Australian Aboriginal Studies. 1992/2:69-74.

Hiscock,P. and Kershaw,P. 1992 Palaeoenvironments and prehistory of Australia's tropical Top End. Pp.43-75 In J.Dodson (ed) The Naive Lands. Longman Cheshire.(View a copy in .pdf format)

Sullivan,M., and P.Hiscock 1992 A suggested cultural resource GIS for the Northern Territory. In C.C.Devonport, S.J.Riley, and S.M.Ringrose (eds) Proceedings of the GIS and Environmental Rehabilitation Workshop. Australian Government Publishing Service. Pp. 78-90.

Hiscock,P., and P.Veth 1991 Change in the Australian Desert Culture: a reanalysis of tulas from Puntutjarpa. World Archaeology 22(3):332-345. (View a copy in .pdf format)

Hiscock,P. and I.Walters 1991 Archaeology at the Northern Territory University: an introduction. Australian Archaeology 32:52-55.

Hiscock,P. 1990 How old are the artefacts from Malakanunja II? Archaeology in Oceania 25:122-124.

Hiscock,P. 1990 A study in scarlet: the taphonomy of inorganic artefacts. In S.Solomon, I.Davidson, and D.Watson (Eds) Problem solving in Taphonomy: studies related to the Archaeology of Europe, Africa and Oceania. Pp.34-49. Tempus monograph 2, University of Queensland.

Hiscock,P. 1989 Artefact recording in the field. In J.Flood, I.Johnson, and S.Sullivan (eds) Sites and Bytes. Recording Aboriginal places in Australia. Pp.20-38. Australian Government Publishing Service.

Hiscock,P. 1989 The concept of cache: a reply to Morwood. Archaeology in Oceania 24(1):38-39. (View a copy in .pdf format)

Hiscock,P. 1989 Thesis abstract: Prehistoric settlement patterns and artefact manufacture at Lawn Hill, Northwest Queensland. Australian Archaeology 29:75-76

Hiscock,P. 1989 Developing a relative dating system for the Moreton Region: an assessment of prospects for a technological approach. Queensland Archaeological Research 5:113-132

Hiscock,P. 1988 A cache of tulas from the Boulia District of Western Queensland. Archaeology in Oceania 23(2):60-70 (View a copy in .pdf format)

Hiscock,P., and H.J.Hall 1988 Technological change at Platypus Rockshelter (KB:A70), Southeast Queensland. Queensland Archaeological Research 5:63-89

Hiscock,P., and H.J.Hall 1988 Technological change at Bushrangers Cave (LA:A11). Queensland Archaeological Research 5:90-112

Hall,H.J., and P.Hiscock 1988 The Moreton Regional Archaeological Project (MRAP) Stage II: an outline of objectives and methods. Queensland Archaeological Research 5:4-24

Hall,H.J., and P.Hiscock 1988 Platypus Rockshelter (KB:A70), Southeast Queensland: Chronological changes in site use. Queensland Archaeological Research 5:42-62

Hall,H.J., D.S. Gillieson and P.Hiscock 1988 Platypus Rockshelter (KB:A70), Southeast Queensland: stratigraphy, chronology and site formation. Queensland Archaeological Research 5:25-41

McNiven,I., and P.Hiscock 1988 Small unifacial pebble cores from Fraser Island, Southeast Queensland. Queensland Archaeological Research 5:161-165

Hiscock,P. 1986 Technological change in the Hunter River Valley and the interpretation of Late Holocene change in Australia. Archaeology in Oceania 21 (1):40-50 (View a copy in .pdf format)

Hiscock,P. 1986 The conjoin sequence diagram: a method of describing conjoin sets. Queensland Archaeological Research 3:159-166

Hiscock,P. 1986 Raw material rationing as an explanation of assemblage differences: A case study of Lawn Hill, Northwest Queensland. In G.Ward (Ed) Archaeology at ANZAAS, Canberra. Pp.178-190. Canberra Archaeological Society.

Hiscock,P. 1985 The need for a Taphonomic Perspective in stone artefact analysis. Queensland Archaeological Research 2:82- 95. (View as html) (View a copy in .pdf format)

Hiscock,P. 1984 A preliminary report on the stone artefacts from Colless Creek Cave. Queensland Archaeological Research 1:120-151 (View a copy in .pdf format)

Hiscock,P. 1984 Aboriginal site selection at one outlier on Lawn Hill Station, N.W.Queensland. Queensland Archaeological Research 1:152-163 (View a copy in .pdf format)

Hiscock,P., and P.J.Hughes 1984 A brief history of archaeological work in northwest Queensland. Queensland Archaeological Research 1:117-119

Hiscock,P., and Hughes,P.J. 1983 One method of recording artefact scatters during site surveys. Australian Archaeology 17:87- 98

Hiscock,P. 1983 Stone Tools as cultural markers? The last two decades of Australian stone artefact analysis. Australian Archaeology 16:48-56.

Hiscock,P. 1983 The Slope Site: Spatial Analysis of a Surface Site in the Five Forests. Pp.1-29 in D.Byrne (Ed.) The Five Forests: An Archaeological and Anthropological Investigation Vol.2. National Parks and wildlife Service of New South Wales.

Hiscock,P. 1983 From simple suggestion to complex debate: a reply to Hallam. Australian Archaeology 16:171-174.

Hiscock,P. 1982 A technological analysis of Quartz Assemblages from the south coast, NSW. Pp.32-45 in S.Bowdler (Ed.), Coastal Archaeology in Eastern Australia. Department of Prehistory, Australian National University.

Hiscock,P. 1982 Comments on the north Queensland data bank. Australian Archaeology 15:103-107.

Hiscock,P. 1982 More about edge angles. Reply to 'A different angle', W.C.Ferguson. Australian Archaeology 15:116-119.

Hiscock,P. 1982 The real meaning of edge angles? Australian Archaeology 14:79-85.

Hiscock,P. 1981 Analysis of archaeological materials from prehistoric sites in the Mumbulla Creek area. Pp.38-48 in B.J.Egloff (Ed.), Mumbulla Mountain: an Anthropological and Archaeological Investigation. NSW NPWS Occasional Paper No.4

Hiscock,P. 1981 Comments on the use of chipped stone artefacts as a measure of "intensity of site usage". Australian Archaeology 13:20-34.

Hiscock,P., and P.J.Hughes 1980 Backed blades in Northern Australia: evidence from Northwest Queensland. Australian Archaeology 10:86-95. (View as html)