Papua New Guinea (Other Keyword)
1-5 (5 Records)
We report on archaeological and paleo-environmental fieldwork carried out in the area around Aitape, northern Papua New Guinea during June and July of 2014, targeted at understanding human response to environmental and climatic variability during the mid- to late-Holocene. We employ a multi-proxy approach to paleo-environmental reconstruction including geochemical and paleo-botanical analysis of stream and river bank sediments to examine local manifestations of Holocene climatic variability and...
Coastal development and palaeoenvironment on the north coast of Papua New Guinea: the Paniri Creek sequence (2016)
Pleistocene-Holocene environmental variance in the southwestern Pacific plays a critical role in explaining the human settlement potential of islands, and their respective settlement histories. In particular, prevalence of viable ecological niches for human settlement on the northern coast of New Guinea has likely fluctuated due to a combination of eustatic and tectonic factors that may have constrained the size of human populations living there as well as its potential as a route of movement...
Feasting and Concentrated Pottery Production in East Cape, Papua New Guinea (2017)
East Cape, the southeastern tip of Papua New Guinea mainland, is one of the pottery production areas in southern Massim. Domestic pottery production has continued to the present day, mainly made by female potters to supply their own needs. However, more extensive pottery production beyond the household level occasionally occurs, especially when funerals (toleha) are held. Toleha are organized by the matrilineal descent group (guguni) of a dead person; the potters who belong the descent group get...
Holocene transitions in highland Papua New Guinea: linking climate change to changes in subsistence and mobility with new models and data (2015)
Highland Papua New Guinea (PNG) is a region of independent invention of non-cereal-based agriculture. Consequently, the transition from a mobile lifestyle to a sedentary residential pattern, and the transition from a forager/gatherer subsistence practice to the adoption of agriculture by the past peoples of highland PNG have been a subject of considerable interest for archaeologists. Models of these transitions have changed through time with the arrival of new evidence such as palynological...
Paleoclimate data and behavioral change in the highlands of Papua New Guinea (2017)
Climate variability generates both opportunities and limitations for subsistence strategies, as well as related settlement patterns and technologies. While not the only driver of behavioral change, climate is a critical force in shaping patterns of past behavior. This paper presents the results of lithic analysis of three sites from the Eastern Highlands of Papua New Guinea that span 20,000 years of occupation. Additionally, the findings from a summed probability distribution analysis of...