A pre-Lapita structure at Apalo, Arawe Islands, Papua New Guinea
Specht, J.; Gosden, C.; Lentfer, C.; Jacobsen, G.; Matthews, P.J.; Lindsay, S. (2017). A pre-Lapita structure at Apalo, Arawe Islands, Papua New Guinea. The Journal of Island and Coastal Archaeology 12(2): 151-172. https://dx.doi.org/10.1080/15564894.2015.1125972
In: The Journal of Island and Coastal Archaeology. Taylor & Francis: Philadelphia. ISSN 1556-4894; e-ISSN 1556-1828, more
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| Author keywords |
Arawe Islands; ENSO activity; Papua New Guinea; Pre-Lapita; stiltstructures |
| Authors | | Top |
- Specht, J.
- Gosden, C.
- Lentfer, C.
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- Jacobsen, G.
- Matthews, P.J.
- Lindsay, S.
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| Abstract |
Stilt structures in the inter-tidal zone or over shallow water on fringing reefs are widely accepted as a feature of settlements of the Lapita cultural complex in Near Oceania. Claims for similar structures in a pre-Lapita context at the Apalo site in the Arawe Islands, New Britain, Papua New Guinea, have been queried on several grounds. Re-evaluation of the Apalo evidence, together with 10 additional AMS radiocarbon dates, establishes human activity associated with some form of structure and possibly with a ground stone axe about 400-500 years before the Lapita pottery occupation. The paucity of occupational refuse suggests a non-residential structure perhaps associated with water transport. Comparisons with the older Dongan midden site in the Sepik-Ramu basin suggest stilt structures were probably used there as well. An apparent shift in depositional processes between the pre-Lapita and Lapita use of Apalo could reflect changed sea conditions arising from increased ENSO activity. |
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