A young Indigenous man recently tweeted: "been sitting at my desk all day, but I don't know that until an archaeologist tells me." I had to laugh. It was a clever swipe at the "whitesplaining" Indigenous people must have to endure from academics. But then I found myself thinking: the discovery of deep time within scientific ways of knowing has changed how Australians relate to the Indigenous past. Especially as it was made when Indigenous people were reasserting their rights to land and culture.

So, it has been with real interest and satisfaction that I found that these ideas are the heart of a new and wonderful book by Billy Griffiths: Deep Time Dreaming: Uncovering Ancient Australia.