Oceanic Explorations: Lapita and Western Pacific Settlement

Bedford, Stuart; Sand, Christophe; Connaughton, Sean P.

doi:10.22459/ta26.2007

Cited by 41 publications

(24 citation statements)

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“…Late Lapita does not generally demonstrate any sign of synchronous change, apart from the appearance of shell impression and the expanded zigzag motif. Rather, it is exemplified by increasing regional divergence and locally distinctive decoration and vessel forms (Bedford and Galipaud 2010;Burley 2007;Burley and Dickinson 2004;Clark 2010;David et al 2011;Sand et al 2011). If this is indeed the scenario during the Lapita period, it is hardly surprising that if pottery in any one region continued to be made into the Post-Lapita period then continuing variability would be expected (Bedford 2006a:157-192).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…terra australis 52 Another distinctive feature is the generally small size of the decorated vessels. The four fully reconstructed carinated vessels from Teouma all had diameters of more than 300 mm and two of them more than 400 mm (Bedford et al 2007). Although it is difficult to be definitive, as many of the rim sherds are not large enough for the accurate measurement of the diameter, the vessels from Vao and Uripiv are mostly no more than 200 mm in diameter.…”

Section: Terra Australis 52mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…There is a reduction in the number of vessel forms and less concentrated design motifs, but there are also indications that increasing regional variation is beginning to develop. Across the distribution, Late Lapita displays significant regional variation with a loss of the rigidly structured design motifs and standard vessel forms (Bedford 2015;Burley 2007;David et al 2011;Sand et al 2011) and therefore requires archipelago-and even islandspecific definition. There does remain, however, indications of some level of interconnectedness across the distribution in the form of the widespread appearance of distinctive decorative techniques, such as shell impression, and motifs, such as the simple zigzag created through a rocking motion of a straight stamp.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Lapita pottery from the small islands of north-east Malakula, Vanuatu: A brief overview and implications

Bedford¹

2019

Debating Lapita: Distribution, Chronology, Society and Subsistence

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A series of well-preserved Lapita sites was first identified on the small islands of Uripiv, Wala, Atchin and Vao, Malakula, in northern Vanuatu in 2001-2002. Further excavation on Vao and particularly Uripiv continued until 2011. The pottery shows the standard similarities with Lapita pottery generally but also demonstrates the development of very distinctive regional and even island-specific variation in form and motif design during the Lapita period. It suggests very rapid change in pottery form and decoration soon after initial colonisation of the archipelago; an aspect largely masked by the radiocarbon chronology. It also confirms that regional diversification was well underway during the Lapita period itself. This may relate both to the potential that these communities came from different origin points further west and that even during a single generation a range of factors may have encouraged localisation in a range of practices including pottery production.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Terra Australis 52mentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Lapita pottery from the small islands of north-east Malakula, Vanuatu: A brief overview and implications

Bedford¹

2019

Debating Lapita: Distribution, Chronology, Society and Subsistence

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“…In the Marianas only 12 early ceramic sites have been identified (Carson 2014) compared to more than 220 Lapita sites (Bedford and Sand 2007; now 293, see Chapter 1). Complete/ partially complete pots have been recovered from Lapita sites in Fiji, New Caledonia and Vanuatu (Bedford et al 2010;Birks 1973;Sand 2010), but no complete early vessels have been recovered from the Marianas.…”

Section: Vessel Comparisonmentioning

confidence: 99%

The ceramic trail: Evaluating the Marianas and Lapita West Pacific connection

Clark¹,

Winter²

2019

Debating Lapita: Distribution, Chronology, Society and Subsistence

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Establishing the prehistoric migration pattern from the similarity of pottery attributes is a fundamental archaeological approach that was validated in the Pacific by the recognition that Lapita ceramics dated to c. 3200-2650 years ago are distributed from south New Guinea to Samoa. Recent work has suggested a connection between Lapita ceramics and the oldest pottery from the Mariana Islands based on the similarity of selected traits that are also widespread in Neolithic and Iron Age assemblages of the region. We compared decoration, vessel form and tool type in Lapita Western Pacific and early Marianas pottery assemblages to determine whether a Marianas ceramic signal can be detected in Lapita pottery from the Bismarck Archipelago. Results indicate that Marianas ceramics are significantly different from Lapita pottery and the presence of simple ceramic traits in different assemblages do not of themselves provide evidence for a migration from the Marianas to the Bismarck Archipelago.

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“…Lapita pottery motifs are perhaps the best-known elements of the archaeology of the Lapita Cultural Complex. The motifs are complex and many, and they have been subject to numerous analyses, theories and methodologies since the 1960s (Anson 1983(Anson , 1986Chiu 2003Chiu , 2005Chiu , 2007Chiu , 2010Chiu and Sand 2005;Green 1979;Mead 1975;Noury 1998Noury , 2000Noury , 2005Noury , 2011Noury , 2013Siorat 1988;Sharp 1988;Spriggs 1990). Chiu suggested in 2005 that some Lapita motifs related to group symbols, or social status.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Along the roads of the Lapita people: Designs, groups and travels

Noury¹

2019

Debating Lapita: Distribution, Chronology, Society and Subsistence

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A new set of rules that allows the division of Lapita designs into two distinct corpora is described. As a result, it is now possible to distinguish for a vast majority of designs-and not only the specific 'group marker' designs-precisely to which corpus and which 'group' they belonged. The implications of these results are significant: they confirm the existence of several dozen small groups of potters, each of them exclusively using a given corpus. The rules can also assign, with some confidence, each decorated sherd to a given group. This method of identification and attribution helps to track these groups in the Pacific, including their interactions over time. The distribution of Fijian, Tongan and Samoan designs is taken here as a test to demonstrate the model's reliability.

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Oceanic Explorations: Lapita and Western Pacific Settlement

Cited by 41 publications

References 0 publications

Lapita pottery from the small islands of north-east Malakula, Vanuatu: A brief overview and implications

Lapita pottery from the small islands of north-east Malakula, Vanuatu: A brief overview and implications

The ceramic trail: Evaluating the Marianas and Lapita West Pacific connection

Along the roads of the Lapita people: Designs, groups and travels

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