Nukubulavu: An examination of Fijian Mid-sequence ceramics on Vanua Levu, Fiji

Summary

This paper reports on excavations from field seasons in 2013 and 2014 when major excavations on the main landmass of Vanua Levu, Fiji were conducted at the beach site of Nukubulavu. This site is positioned on a small peninsula in the island’s southeastern Natewa Bay region. Nukubulavu produced ceramic assemblages that extend to all of Fiji’s known culture history. The team also documented a deeply buried probable house floor with diagnostic artifacts that indicate intensive occupation during Fiji’s Mid-Sequence (ca. 2800 BP – 500 BP). The assemblage includes Late Lapita rim fragments with dentate stamping, body sherds and rims of large Fijian Plainware vessels, and fragments from the Navatu phase. With such a diverse representation of Fijian material culture and approximate dates via Radiocarbon AMS, Nukubulavu presents a rare opportunity to inspect in detail changes that may have occurred between the Plainware and Navatu phases of the Fijian Mid-Sequence. A detailed examination of the assemblage is underway, which will help to determine if stratigraphic variations, corresponding with our Radiocarbon AMS dates and Bayesian models, demonstrate clear correlations with the distribution of ceramic types.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 82nd Annual Meeting, Vancouver, BC (2017)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 15917