Oceania archaeology

Research at the Chelechol ra Orrak rockshelter in Palau has revealed an extensive cemetery with at least 50 interred individuals, their graves overlain by later occupational deposits. Previous radiocarbon dating placed this sequence of burial and occupation at c. 3000 cal BP, making it one of the earliest Pacific Island cemetery sites. To provide a more robust chronological framework, Bayesian modelling was applied to construct probability ranges for the date and duration of activity at the site, assisted by a suite of new 14 C determinations. The results provide more secure evidence for burial activity dating back to c. 3000 cal BP, thus confirming Chelechol ra Orrak as one of the only cemeteries in Remote Oceania that dates to the earliest, known stages of island colonisation.

OBJECTIVE To explore the frequency and severity of temporomandibular joint osteoarthritis (TMJ-OA) and its causative factors in a skeletal assemblage from the prehistoric site of Chelechol ra Orrak, Palau, western Micronesia. MATERIALS 50 temporomandibular joint surfaces (mandibular condyles and articular eminences), representing a minimum of 22 adult individuals, 17 of which retain teeth. METHODS Joint surfaces were macroscopically evaluated for characteristics associated with TMJ-OA and joint morphology. Dental remains were scored for tooth wear and staining. RESULTS Nine individuals (40.1 %) displayed lesions typical of TMJ-OA. The strongest associations were between tooth wear and TMJ-OA. CONCLUSIONS Indirect effects of parafunctional dental activity appear to be a factor in TMJ-OA frequency at Chelechol ra Orrak. While betel nut chewing may be one of those activities, it does not appear to be solely driving the presence of TMJ-OA. SIGNIFICANCE This study highlights the association between a specific parafunctional use of the temporomandibular joint and the potential pathological consequences. It also reinforces the need to carefully evaluate the archaeological context of skeletal remains in order to evaluate specific etiological factors in the presence of TMJ-OA in present and past populations. LIMITATIONS Sample sizes are limited in this study. This will increase as excavations continue. SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER RESEARCH Because dental occlusion appears to be associated with TMJ-OA, focus on dental conditions affecting occlusal patterns, such as third molar agenesis, antemortem tooth loss, and malocclusion, and their relationship to TMJ-OA frequency, are recommended.

Recent research on the prehistoric colonization of islands in western Micronesia (northwest tropical Pacific) has revealed a relatively clear picture of multiple, but chronologically disparate entries into Palau and the Mariana Islands between ca. 3200 and 2800 cal BP from groups in Island Southeast Asia (Clark 2004, 2005; Fitzpatrick 2003; Petchey et al. 2016; Rieth and Athens 2017). Despite an increased understanding of when these two major Micronesian archipelagoes were settled, initial human arrival in Yap—a group of four small islands situated between the two other island groups—is still unclear. A paucity of archaeological research and conflicting lines of other evidence (linguistic, paleoenvironmental) have resulted in a significant gap in

Background and Aims Paper mulberry or Broussonetia papyrifera (L.) L’Hér. ex Vent. (Moraceae) is a dioecious species native to continental South-east Asia and East Asia, including Taiwan, that was introduced to the Pacific by pre-historic voyagers and transported intentionally and propagated asexually across the full range of Austronesian expansion from Taiwan to East Polynesia. The aim of this study was to gain insight into the dispersal of paper mulberry into Oceania through the genetic analysis of herbaria samples which represent a more complete coverage of the historical geographical range of the species in the Pacific before later introductions and local extinctions occurred. Methods DNA from 47 herbarium specimens of B. papyrifera collected from 1882 to 2006 from different islands of the Pacific was obtained under ancient DNA protocols. Genetic characterization was based on the ribosomal internal transcribed spacer ITS-1 sequence, a sex marker, the chloroplast ndhF–rpl32 inter...

While archaeobotany is increasingly part of archaeological projects in Oceania, the specific sub-discipline focusing on wood charcoal macro-remains (anthracology) continues to be a much underdeveloped field of research in Australia and the Pacific. To initiate a regional framework for anthracology, we present here a review of studies based on wood charcoal analyses that have been implemented in Oceania, and we then present anthracological principles and methods developed in other parts of the world. We use three recent case studies, from New Caledonia, and tropical and semi-arid Australia, to illustrate the application of anthracological methods in the region. Finally, we consider the potential for the discipline to be successfully developed in Oceania, discussing identified challenges and prospects for anthracology to address key archaeological questions in the region. We argue the discipline has the potential to throw light on both palaeoenvironmental conditions and palaeoethnobotanical practices at a site, and can also offer insights in relation to mobility patterns and resource management in the past.

ABSTRACI-Ardlaeological excavation at two limestom, quarries in the Rock Islands of Palau, Mk: ronesia, yielded e\[tensiw shellfish assemblages. Both sites were inhabited by Islanders dUring the last several hundred years while they quarried limestone deposits for stooe money disk production, but there are considerable differences inthe preservation and types of sheUfish recovered.

Norfolk Island lies 1300 km east of Australia and is equidistant 700 km from New Caledonia and New Zea-land. It is one of a group of so-called 'mystery islands' in the Pacific. These have archaeological evidence of former habitation but were lacking people in residence at the time of ...

In the early 1900s thirteen engraved Conus shell valuables were dug from prehistoric midden mounds in Oro Province. Since the early 1970s nineteen undated surface finds have been found in the northern Massim of Milne Bay Province. When three artifacts became available for AMS radiocarbon dating, provided they were restored after sampling to their original visual appearance, a specialist team was assembled and this paper reports its findings regarding the thirty-two shells. The paper covers sampling and conservation, dating (including new information on the local oceanic reservoir effect), distribution, art, depositional and cultural histories. These distinctive Conus shell valuables are part of the material culture found along the northern coast of the eastern tip of New Guinea and on the islands of the northern Massim during the Expansion Phase c.1000–500 BP. Their decoration is comparable to that produced by Milne Bay Province woodcarvers in historic times. This continuity makes t...

Archaeology’s ability to generate long-term datasets of natural and human landscape change positions the discipline as an inter-disciplinary bridge between the social and natural sciences. Using a multi-proxy approach combining archaeological data with palaeoenvironmental indicators embedded in coastal sediments, we outline millennial timescales of lowland landscape evolution in the Society Islands. Geomorphic and cultural histories for four coastal zones on Mo‘orea are reconstructed based on stratigraphic records, sedimentology, pollen analysis, and radiocarbon determinations from mid- to late Holocene contexts. Prehuman records of the island’s flora and fauna are described utilizing landsnail, insect, and botanical data, providing a palaeo-backdrop for later anthropogenic change. Several environmental processes, including sea level change, island subsidence, and anthropogenic alterations, leading to changes in sedimentary budget have operated on Mo‘orea coastlines from c. 4600 to ...

Historicising the emergence of ethnographic activities provides insights into the reliability of ethnographic analogies to aid archaeological understandings of past human societies, as well as allowing us to explore the historical emergence of ethnographically contextualised cultural traits. Epe Amoho is the largest hunting camp rockshelter used by the Himaiyu lan (Rumu people) of the Kikori River region, southern Papua New Guinea. Contemporary ethnographic information indicates dry season site use with subsistence practices directed towards riverine fishing and shellfishing, mammal hunting and gardening in the surrounding rainforest. But how long has the site been used and when in the past did activities start to resemble those known ethnographically? Archaeological excavations revealed three pulses of activity: Recent Phase (0-500 cal BP), Middle Phase (900-1200 cal BP) and Early Phase (2500-2850 cal BP). Pollen data reveal increasing rainforest disturbance by people through time....

Paper mulberry or Broussonetia papyrifera (L.) L'Hér. ex Vent. (Moraceae) is a dioecious species native to continental South-east Asia and East Asia, including Taiwan, that was introduced to the Pacific by pre-historic voyagers and transported intentionally and propagated asexually across the full range of Austronesian expansion from Taiwan to East Polynesia. The aim of this study was to gain insight into the dispersal of paper mulberry into Oceania through the genetic analysis of herbaria samples which represent a more complete coverage of the historical geographical range of the species in the Pacific before later introductions and local extinctions occurred. DNA from 47 herbarium specimens of B. papyrifera collected from 1882 to 2006 from different islands of the Pacific was obtained under ancient DNA protocols. Genetic characterization was based on the ribosomal internal transcribed spacer ITS-1 sequence, a sex marker, the chloroplast ndhF-rpl32 intergenic spacer and a set o...

Since the 1970s the site of Emo (aka 'Samoa', 'OAC') in the Gulf Province of Papua New Guinea has been cited as one of the earliest-known ceramic sites from the southern Papuan lowlands. This site has long been seen as holding c.2000 year old evidence of ...

Can archaeologists describe human population size and population growth in prehistoric Australia? This question is at the heart of some of the most intense debates about Australian prehistory: investigations into the spread of people into Australia, the rate of dispersal of people across the continent and the impact of colonisers on the environment. Australian researchers have proposed explicit models of population change based on measurements of quantities of “things” as proxies for regional and continental-wide demographic change, the most common being numbers of habitation sites and/or numbers of artefacts per millennium. Recent researchers have focused on the number of radiometric dates as the proxy for numbers of people. This paper offers an overview of existing models, concluding with a brief critique of the proposition that number of dates per unit time must be reflecting demographic patterns. We suggest that alternative and novel interpretations of large compiled radiometric databases be considered, as these data can contribute to research questions beyond those of demography. Expanding the range of research agendas that employ radiometric datasets may repay the labour invested in their compilation while allowing exploration of the diverse questions about the Australian past that remain unanswered.

Paper mulberry or Broussonetia papyrifera (L.) L'Hér. ex Vent. (Moraceae) is a dioecious species native to continental South-east Asia and East Asia, including Taiwan, that was introduced to the Pacific by pre-historic voyagers and transported intentionally and propagated asexually across the full range of Austronesian expansion from Taiwan to East Polynesia. The aim of this study was to gain insight into the dispersal of paper mulberry into Oceania through the genetic analysis of herbaria samples which represent a more complete coverage of the historical geographical range of the species in the Pacific before later introductions and local extinctions occurred. DNA from 47 herbarium specimens of B. papyrifera collected from 1882 to 2006 from different islands of the Pacific was obtained under ancient DNA protocols. Genetic characterization was based on the ribosomal internal transcribed spacer ITS-1 sequence, a sex marker, the chloroplast ndhF-rpl32 intergenic spacer and a set o...

A land-use model widely used by consulting archaeologists in the Pilbara depicts rock shelters as ephemeral and atypical sites. We evaluate assemblages from excavated rock shelters in the Chichester Range against predicted characteristics of sites used on a short-term basis by small highly mobile groups. The results show that rock shelters do not clearly conform to the model. Comparison of selected shelter assemblages with neighbouring surface sites suggests that rock shelters are likely to be among the most complex and diverse sites in the study area.

... 2004. Worlds within stone: the inner and outer rock-art landscapes of northern Australia and southern African. ... KUMAR, SEPETI MATARARABA, TOMO ISHIMURA, JOHNSON SEETO, SELA RAYAWA, SALÓTE KURUYAWA, ALIFERETI NASILA, BRONWYN OLONI, ANUPAMA ...