Archaeological sites across Australia often retain in situ evidence of momentary events, but the focus across the country has overwhelmingly been to excavate, and to investigate, longer-term trends. In this paper we address the missed opportunities and responsibilities brought by a focus on longer-term trends, and advocate for investigating short-term events retained in the buried archaeological record. We facilitate this discussion by revisiting and extending the ‘Pompeii Premise’ debates that once featured in global archaeology. This paper is a call to refine excavation methods and analyses, and to take special care to observe the hand of the ancestors when excavating sites, so as to improve the telling of the stories and histories that buried deposits hold.

Developing methods for communicating, analysing, and interpreting the spiritual context of cultural objects is essential to gaining a deep understanding of the past. In archaeology, Indigenous methodologies in the field of creativity as an embodied exploration can enable archaeologists to understand how we perceive and interpret cultural information. This article examines how art making, within Indigenous cultures, serves as a powerful lens through which archaeological inquiries can be spiritually interpreted. This intricate relationship between art making and archaeological exploration provides a nuanced understanding of the spiritual significance inherent in historical relics. Its objective is to highlight Indigenous creative embodied methodologies, embracing a decolonised perspective that honours Indigenous worldviews. Serving as a bridge, it narrows the divide between creative craftsmanship and the field of archaeology.

Australian archaeology is known for its youthful energy, diversity of approaches, and integration of Indigenous and Western knowledges using modern techniques and technologies. Archaeologists learning their trade in Australia are immersed in the deep antiquity of human presence and continuing connections modern communities maintain on this continent. Nowhere else is archaeology as alive as it is on the Australian continent.\n\nIncreasingly, however, archaeologists in Australia (as elsewhere) are being pushed to make connections outside of their discipline in order to produce work which can be classified as interdisciplinary. This push isn’t from peers seeking to grow our understanding of the human story, but rather from university administrators seeking to increase the standing of their institutions.