The timing and nature of hunter-gather exploitation of tropical rainforests is a topic of ongoing debate. In contrast to most other tropical regions, permanent settlement in Australian rainforests developed much later, and in the absence of adjacent agricultural economies. Here we explore how the tropical rainforests of northern Queensland were exploited during the late Holocene through an ancient starch and phytolith record spanning the last 2000 years. Sequences at the two sites under study - Urumbal Pocket (a 'Eucalyptus pocket' surrounded by rainforest) and Goddard Creek (within the rainforest) - indicate a human presence since the early Holocene, coincident with the re-establishment of rainforest in the region. Toxic starchy nuts and the associated complex processing underpinned permanent settlement. Using a geometric morphometric approach to starch analysis, a range of economic starch producing plant species were identified including Endiandra palmerstonii, E. insignis, Lasjia whelani and Beilschmiedia bancroftii in the Urumbal pocket sequence. The phytolith record shows that Urumbal Pocket has been a 'Eucalyptus pocket' for at least the last 2000 years, the open nature of the vegetation maintained by regular burning. Goddard Creek, on the other hand has been closed forest, with a changing profile as fire was used more frequently over time. The starch and phytolith sequence provide a unique insight into the local history of these rainforest archaeological sites, with a record that can be viewed against the backdrop of regional sequences documenting climatic and environmental patterns during the late Holocene. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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