This is a written pattern (with photographs) of a 3-dimensional miniature archaeological shell mound created and shared as a free resource for National Archaeology Week (NAW) 2022.

This is a recreation of my NAW 2021 Bake It/Make It entry (winner: Best Make) but does not include the tree featured in the original. It is modelled on the distinctive Tegillarca granosa-dominated mounds found across northern Australia, created by Indigenous Australians in the late Holocene (~3000 years ago to present). Most of these northern Australian mounds are >90% Tegillarca granosa, which prefers silty mudflats and flourished when sea-levels receded ~3000-1000 yrs ago. Many mounds are ~1m high, and the biggest mounds in Weipa, Queensland are 10m high. Charcoal is often found throughout these mounds.

This pattern includes:
Tegillarca granosa (bivalve) left and right valves (worked in rows)
Gastropod (worked in a spiral)
Clam (worked in rows)
3 types of charcoal (worked in rows)
Base mat (worked in a spiral)

The original mound contained: 259 x Tegillarca granosa, 23 x charcoal, 2 x clams, 1 x base (40cm)

This pattern uses US terminology. Stitch types used:
Ch – chain
Sl st – slip stitch
SC – single crochet
DC – double crochet
DC decrease – double crochet decrease
Back and front post crochet
Back loops only crochet