SEMINAR: ARCHAEOLOGY SEMINAR SERIES

The Bismarck Archipelago, consisting of the four island provinces of Manus, New Ireland and East and West New Britain in Papua New Guinea, stands at a critical position at the ‘entry’ into the main Pacific Ocean. The region has been inhabited for around 40-45,000 years, but most attention has been paid to the late Holocene period when Lapita pottery appeared around 3400 years ago. Over 200 sites with this pottery extend from the Archipelago southwards and eastwards to New Caledonia, Tonga and Samoa. Although more than 90 Lapita sites are on record for the Archipelago, little is really known about the settlements and their occupants. The seminar will review some of the main issues confronting the next generation of archaeologists who work in the region, starting with initial colonisation and extending through to the post-Lapita period.