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Talepakemalai : Lapita and its transformations in the Mussau Islands of near Oceania

documentary heritage
  • Other Name

    Monumenta archaeologica (Series)

  • Description

    "The Lapita Cultural Complex-first uncovered in the mid-20th century as a widespread archaeological complex spanning both Melanesia and Western Polynesia-has subsequently become recognized as of fundamental importance to Oceanic prehistory. Notable for its highly distinctive, elaborate, dentate-stamped pottery, Lapita sites date to between 3500-2700 BP, spanning the geographic range from the Bismarck Archipelago to Tonga and Samoa.

    The Lapita culture has been interpreted as the archaeological manifestation of a diaspora of Austronesian-speaking people (specifically of Proto-Oceanic language) who rapidly expanded from Near Oceania (the New Guinea-Bismarcks region) into Remote Oceania, where no humans had previously ventured. Lapita is thus a foundational culture throughout much of the southwestern Pacific, ancestral to much of the later, ethnographically-attested cultural diversity of the region. The Mussau materials are essential to understanding how Lapita developed and was transformed during the period prior to and following the Lapita diaspora into Remote Oceania. This volume thus presents the definitive "final report" on the excavation not only of Talepakemalai, but of all of the Lapita and post-Lapita sites investigated during the Mussau Project"--

  • Place
    Los Angeles, California, United States
  • Other Id

    GN875.O2 TAL (Library of Congress Call Number)

    92733 (Cat ID)

    92504 (Presto content ID)

  • Department

    Publications

Images and documents

Catalogue

  • Object Type

    book

  • Name/Title
    Talepakemalai : Lapita and its transformations in the Mussau Islands of near Oceania
  • Other Name

    Monumenta archaeologica (Series)

  • Primary Maker

    Patrick Kirch

  • Contributor/Publisher
    Cotsen Institute of Archaeology Press
  • Place
    Los Angeles, California, United States
  • Date
    2021
  • Physical Description

    (xxxi), 558 pages : illustrations, maps, tables ; 29 cm

  • ISBN/ISSN
    9781950446179
    1950446174
  • Language
    English
  • Level of Current Record
    Bib record
  • Member Object

    1 item in this collection. View all items.

  • Subject Category

    Lapita culture

    Prehistoric peoples--Oceania

    Pottery, Prehistoric--Oceania

    Excavations (Archaeology)--Oceania

    Antiquities/Library of Congress subject headings

    Excavations (Archaeology)

    Lapita culture

    Pottery, Prehistoric

    Prehistoric peoples

    Oceania--Antiquities

    Oceania

  • Content
    List of Figures
    List of Tables
    List of Supplementary Online Materials
    Preface
    Acknowledgments
    List of Contributors
    Abbreviations
    Chapter 1. Introduction: Talepakemalai and the Mussau Project in the Context of Lapita Archaeology \ Patrick Vinton Kirch
    The Lapita Cultural Complex: History and Background
    The Lapita Homeland
    Project
    Major Themes in Lapita Research Circa 1985
    The Mussau Project, 1985-1988
    The Mussau Project Three Decades Later
    Chapter 2. The Mussau Islands: Natural and Cultural Environments \ Patrick Vinton Kirch (with a contribution by Carla P. Catterall)
    Geographical Overview
    Natural Environment and Resources
    Shallow-Water Marine Habitats of the Offshore Islands (by Carla P. Catterall)
    Coastal Geomorphology and Holocene
    Sea-Level Change
    The Ethnographic Record
    Chapter 3. Excavations at Talepakemalai (Site ECA) \ Patrick Vinton Kirch
    The Setting
    Site Discovery and Prior Excavations
    Excavation Methods
    Excavation Objectives and Strategy
    The ECA Site Excavations
    Sedimentology of the Talepakemalai Site
    Sea-Level Change and Depositional History at Talepakemalai
    Chapter 4. Excavations at Other Lapita and Post-Lapita Sites of Mussau \ Patrick Vinton Kirch, Marshall I. Weisler, and Nick Araho
    The Erakosarai Site (ECB)
    The Etapakcngaroasa Site (EHB)
    The Boliu Site (EKE)
    Eloaua Island Rockshelters (by Marshall I. Weisler)
    Mussau Island Rockshelters (by Marshall I. Weisler)
    Aceramic Midden Sites of Eloaua, Emussau, and Enusagila Islands (Sites EKS, EHK, and EKL)
    Ihe Sinakasae Site (EKU), Mussau Island
    Chapter 5. Radiocarbon Dating and Chronology of the Mussau Sites \ Patrick Vinton Kirch
    The Mussau Radiocarbon Corpus
    Calibration Procedures and Bayesian Modeling
    The Dating and Chronology of Site EC A
    Dating of Lapita Sites ECB and EHB
    Dating of Rockshelter Sites EKQ and EKO
    Dating of Site EKE
    Dating of Post-Lapita Sites (EKU, EKS, EHK, and EKL)
    Summary and Conclusions
    Chapter 6. Vertebrate Fauna from the Mussau Sites: Reptiles, Birds, and Mammals \ Patrick Vinton Kirch
    Materials and Methods
    Reptiles
    Birds
    Mammals
    Summary and Conclusions
    Chapter 7. Fish Remains from the Mussau Islands Sites \ Virginia L. Butler
    Methods and Materials
    Descriptive Summary
    Results
    Summary
    Acknowledgments
    Chapter 8. Mollusks and Other Invertebrate Fauna from the Mussau Sites \ Patrick Vinton Kirch
    Materials and Methods
    The Mussau Mollusk Assemblage
    Taphonomic Considerations: Breakage Patterns
    Mollusk Exploitation at Lapita Sites EC A, ECB, and EHB
    Mollusk Exploitation at Post-Lapita Sites (EHK, EKE, EKU, EKS)
    Other Invertebrates: Sea Urchins and Crustacea
    Conclusions
    Chapter 9. Human Impacts on Prehistoric Mollusk Populations of Mussau Coral Reef Habitats \ Carla P. Catterall and I R. Poiner
    Introduction
    Methods
    The Molluskan Species Assemblage
    Temporal Changes in the Midden Taxonomic Composition
    Temporal Changes of Population Characteristics within Certain Mollusk Species
    Effects of Collecting on Mollusks of Coral Reefs in the Mussau Environmental System
    Acknowledgments
    Chapter 10. Macrobotanical Remains from Talepakemalai (Site EC A) and the Case for Lapita Arboriculture \ Patrick Vinton Kirch
    Traditional Arboriculture in Mussau
    Materials and Methods
    The Talepakemalai Archaeobotanical Assemblage
    Metric Analyses of Key Taxa
    Anaerobically Preserved Wood
    Conclusions
    Chapter 11. Ceramic Assemblages of the Mussau Islands \ Patrick Vinton Kirch and Scarlett Chin
    Analytical Approach and Methods
    Overview of the Mussau Ceramic Assemblages
    Reconstructed Vessels of the Mussau Ceramic Catalog
    The Ceramic Assemblages of Talepakemalai (ECA)
    The Lapita Ceramics of Etakosarai (ECB), Etapakengaroasa (EHB), Boliu (EKE), and Epakapaka (EKQ)
    Ceramics at Other Mussau Sites
    Ceramic Discs
    Summary of Ceramic Change in Mussau
    The Mussau Ceramic Catalog
    Chapter 12. Sand Tempers in Mussau Ceramics: Evidence for Ceramic Transfer within the Bismarck Archipelago \ William R. Dickinson
    Temper Types: Geologic Constraints
    Temper Distribution in Sectioned Sherds
    Calcareous Tempers
    Opaque-Rich Tempers
    Volcanic Sand Tempers
    Potential Bismarck Archipelago Temper Sources
    Inferred Origins of the Mussau Ceramic Wares
    Summary and Conclusions
    Acknowledgments
    Appendix: Notes on Sherds Sampled for Petrographic Analysis in 2002 (by P. V. Kirch)
    Chapter 13. Non-Ceramic Portable Artifacts from Talepakemalai and Other Mussau Sites \ Patrick Vinton Kirch
    Tools
    Fishing Gear
    Food Preparation Equipment
    Ornaments and Exchange Valuables
    Anthropomorphic Image and Possible Image Inlays
    Miscellaneous Objects of Bone
    Flaked Stone
    Manuports
    Summary and Conclusions
    Chapter 14. Mid- to Late-Holocene Obsidian Importation in the Mussau Islands \ Melinda S. Allen
    Preamble
    Introduction
    Regional Obsidian Sources
    Methods and Materials
    Results
    Discussion
    Conclusions
    Acknowledgments
    Chapter 15. Portable X-Ray Fluorescence (pXRF) Analysis of Obsidian from Talepakemalai (Site ECA) \ Callan Ross-Sheppard
    Methods
    Results
    Discussion
    Acknowledgments
    Chapter 16. Obsidian Tool Production and Use at Talepakemalai (Site ECA) \ Melinda S. Allen
    Methods
    Results
    Discussion
    Conclusions
    Acknowledgments
    Chapter 17. Petrography of Manuports from Mussau Archaeological Sites \ William R. Dickinson
    Geological Control Samples
    Manuport Petrography
    Distribution of Manuports by Site
    Manuport Origins
    Chapter 18. Lapita and Its Transformations in the Mussau Islands \ Patrick Vinton Kirch
    Lapita Origins and Chronology
    Lapita Economy
    Long-Distance Exchange
    Lapita Society
    The Late Transformation of Lapita
    Concluding
    Remarks
  • Public Access Text

    Includes bibliographical references and index

  • Collection Type
    Ethnology Library
  • Last Update
    19 Dec 2023
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