Papers by Glenn Summerhayes
Austronesian speaking peoples left Southeast Asia and entered the Western Pacific c.4000-3000 yea... more Austronesian speaking peoples left Southeast Asia and entered the Western Pacific c.4000-3000 years ago, continuing on to colonise Remote Oceania for the first time, where they became the ancestral populations of Polynesians. Understanding the impact of these peoples on the mainland of New Guinea before they entered Remote Oceania has eluded archaeologists. New research from the archaeological site of Wañelek in the New Guinea Highlands has broken this silence. Petrographic and geochemical data from pottery and new radiocarbon dating demonstrates that Austronesian influences penetrated into the highland interior by 3000 years ago. One potsherd was manufactured along the northeast coast of New Guinea, whereas others were manufactured from inland materials. These findings represent the oldest securely dated pottery from an archaeological context on the island of New Guinea. Additionally, the pottery comes from the interior, suggesting the movements of people and technological practices, as well as objects at this time. The antiquity of the Wañelek pottery is coincident with the expansion of Lapita pottery in the Western Pacific. Such occupation also occurs at the same time that changes have been identified in subsistence strategies in the archaeological record at Kuk Swamp suggesting a possible link between the two.
Archaeological Obsidian Studies, 1998
The south Papuan coast has seen a rapid transition in cultural changes during the late Holocene. ... more The south Papuan coast has seen a rapid transition in cultural changes during the late Holocene. Colonisation by the sea-faring Lapita people almost 3000 years ago is the earliest evidence of ceramic producing people in the region. Subsequent cultural development in the region led to the highly specialised exchange systems of the ethnographic period, such as the Motu Hiri. A poorly understood period during this sequence is the so-called "Papuan Hiccup" (c. 750-1150AD), during which a series of abrupt, localised socio-economic changes occurred along the entire coast. The Papuan Hiccup separates an early ceramic period, in which Lapita-derived Early Papuan Pottery (EPP) traditions are found at sites right across the region, and a more recent phase of localised ceramic sequences. A correspondence between the timing of the Papuan Hiccup and a peak in El-Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) activity suggests a mechanism for this cultural transformation. This paper contributes new d...
Technical Reports of the Australian Museum, online, 2007
Pacific Science, 2009
In this paper we review and assess the impact of colonizing peoples on their landscape by focusin... more In this paper we review and assess the impact of colonizing peoples on their landscape by focusing on two very different colonizing processes within the western Pacific. The first is the initial human colonization of New Guinea 45,000-40,000 years ago by hunter-foraging populations; the second is the colonization of smaller offshore islands of the Bismarck Archipelago, some 3,300 years ago, by peoples argued to have practiced agriculture: two different colonizing processes by two different groups of peoples with two different social structures practicing two very different subsistence strategies. The impact of these two colonization processes on the environment is compared and contrasted, and commonalities identified for the archaeological and vegetation record.
Pacific Science, 2009
... 2009 doi: 10.2984/049.063.0402. On the Rat Trail in Near Oceania: Applying the Commensal Mode... more ... 2009 doi: 10.2984/049.063.0402. On the Rat Trail in Near Oceania: Applying the Commensal Model to the Question of the Lapita Colonization 1. E. Matisoo-Smith, 2, 4, 7 M. Hingston, 3, 4 G. Summerhayes, 5 J. Robins, 2, 4 HA Ross, 3 and M. Hendy 6. ... Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. ...
The Journal of Island and Coastal Archaeology, 2013
Journal of Archaeological Science, 2009
This paper examines the potential use of strontium isotopes ( 87 Sr/ 86 Sr) for identifying migra... more This paper examines the potential use of strontium isotopes ( 87 Sr/ 86 Sr) for identifying migration within Lapita populations and their commensal animals, specifically the pig (Sus scrofa). Lapita people (ca. 3300-2200 BP) were the initial colonists of the island groups to the east of the Solomon Islands, spreading from Papua New Guinea to Tonga and Samoa within a few centuries. Mobility is assumed to have been an important mechanism for maintaining cultural solidarity between Lapita communities. It has been previously argued that Lapita populations became progressively more sedentary over time after the initial colonising events. Two Lapita sites, Kamgot and Balbalankin, from the Anir Islands in the Bismarck Archipelago are included in the analysis and fall within the Early (ca. 3300-3000/2900 BP) and Middle (ca. 3000/2900-2700 BP) Lapita periods respectively. Ten tooth enamel samples from Lapita human and pig teeth as well as modern teeth were analysed for strontium isotopes. The mean values for the individuals from both sites were higher than the geological value obtained for the Anir Islands reflecting the incorporation of marine-derived strontium into their tooth enamel taken up in their diet. Although the sample sites have similar environments there was a difference between the local ranges of the strontium isotopic data. One Lapita age pig and one potentially modern pig from Kamgot fell well outside the local distribution for the site and were considered to be non-local. The extreme distribution of the two outliers suggests they came from two geographically separate locations. The results from the Anir Islands when compared with strontium results from other prehistoric Pacific Island populations suggest there is sufficient variation between island groups in terms of the biologically available strontium to justify further research. The present results are discussed in terms of using pigs as a proxy for human mobility as well as an indicator for the 'local' range of an archaeological population by treating human and pigs as separate populations. Strontium isotopes therefore provide the opportunity to investigate migration in Lapita populations on a finer scale than was previously possible.
Journal of Archaeological Science, 2010
This paper uses strontium isotope (87Sr/86Sr), oxygen isotope (δ18O) and Ba/Sr trace element data... more This paper uses strontium isotope (87Sr/86Sr), oxygen isotope (δ18O) and Ba/Sr trace element data in archaeological tooth enamel samples to investigate migration and mobility at the Late Lapita site of SAC, Watom Island in the Bismarck Archipelago. Previous archaeological models have identified Lapita mobility at a community level using obsidian distribution patterns and changes in ceramic design, whereas isotope and trace element data can potentially reconstruct prehistoric mobility on an individual level. Human and pig teeth were sampled from SAC and a selection of human teeth were included from the Late–Post Lapita site of Lifafaesing, Tanga Islands as a geographic/geological comparison.The results indicate that there is a large amount of isotopic variation in the Bismarck Archipelago which is useful for identifying non-local individuals and possibly determining their origins. One human individual and several pigs were suggested as coming from elsewhere in the region. Three potentially separate locations were identified for the non-local pigs. It is argued, using the data from SAC, that Late Lapita communities in the Bismarck Archipelago were more mobile than previously assumed. The potential for identifying individual migrants in a Lapita context are discussed in terms of assessing the more subtle aspects of Lapita society in the Southwest Pacific Islands.
Journal of Anthropological Archaeology, 2011
Migration is a commonly used explanation for cultural change in world prehistory, and is also a c... more Migration is a commonly used explanation for cultural change in world prehistory, and is also a central theme in the prehistory of the Pacific Islands. However it is rarely subject to direct archaeological research. This paper applies strontium and oxygen radiogenic/stable isotope ( 87 Sr/ 86 Sr, d 18 O), and trace element concentration (Ba/Sr) analyses to 27 individuals buried at the archaeological site of Nebira (ca.720-300 BP), located inland on the South Coast of Papua New Guinea. The analyses seek to identify non-local individuals within the population and provide a more in-depth understanding about the social identity of the possible migrants in this community.
Bulletin of the Indo-Pacific Prehistory Association, 2009
Archaeological research in the Yaeyama Islands, southern Japan, has a hundred year old history, y... more Archaeological research in the Yaeyama Islands, southern Japan, has a hundred year old history, yet little of it is known to those archaeologists working outside the immediate area. This area is of importance to those working in Southeast Asia and the Pacific as the colonisation of the Yaeyama Islands allows a closer assessment of the nature and timing of Austronesian movement out of Taiwan. This paper will examine the colonisation of the Yaeyama Islands and its archaeological signature, Shimotabaru pottery, by first reviewing the archaeological developments of this island group, followed by an examination of the timing of colonisation and the nature of Shimotabaru pottery production. It will be argued that the early occupation in the Yaeyama Islands characterised by Shimotabaru pottery is the signature of Austronesian colonisation from Taiwan, from between 4500 and 3900 years ago. Yet the colonising signature in the Yaeyama Islands is of a different character to the Austronesian presence in the islands south of Taiwan. This suggests that the nature of Austronesian expansion in general was more complex than is proposed in the prevailing model.
Geoarchaeology, 2014
A new obsidian source from northwest Manus, Papua New Guinea, is reported for the first time. The... more A new obsidian source from northwest Manus, Papua New Guinea, is reported for the first time. The chemical signature for this new source was obtained using the electron microprobe, ICP-MS, and PIXE-PIGME, and the results were compared with known sources and artifacts from this region. The results show for the first time a more complex scenario of obsidian procurement and exchange than previously thought. Archaeological excavation and survey of Manus is so far very limited, with only one excavated Pleistocene site. Much more archaeological work is needed to find more early sites, to assess the distributions of material from Lepong and other obsidian sources, and model obsidian transfers in more detail. C 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Journal of Pacific …, Jan 1, 2009
In 2007 a new Early Lapita site called Tamuarawai (EQS) was located on Emirau Island, Papua New G... more In 2007 a new Early Lapita site called Tamuarawai (EQS) was located on Emirau Island, Papua New Guinea. Two seasons of excavation (2007, 2008) have been undertaken. This paper describes the site and some of the preliminary analyses undertaken. Some unusual results suggest ...
Journal of Archaeological Science 38:2873-2881., 2011
This paper summarises research on obsidian findings across the region of Island Southeast Asia (I... more This paper summarises research on obsidian findings across the region of Island Southeast Asia (ISEA), from the first reporting of obsidian on Sumatra as a result of cave excavations in the early 1900s through to the latest published discoveries in 2009. These results are the background for the first region-wide research project focussing on obsidian characterisation and its role in prehistoric inter-island exchange. It is commonly held that distribution of obsidian in ISEA was only localised and inter-island transportation limited. The review, however, suggests that this hypothesis derives from an incomplete knowledge of obsidian distribution in the region rather than typifying prehistoric social patterns. Obsidian sourcing has been carried out only intermittently in ISEA since the 1970s and has generally been focussed only at the single site level, thus explaining this very partial understanding.
Science, 2010
After their emergence by 200,000 years before the present in Africa, modern humans colonized the ... more After their emergence by 200,000 years before the present in Africa, modern humans colonized the globe, reaching Australia and New Guinea by 40,000 to 50,000 years ago. Understanding how humans lived and adapted to the range of environments in these areas has been difficult because well-preserved settlements are scarce. Data from the New Guinea Highlands (at an elevation of ~2000 meters) demonstrate the exploitation of the endemic nut Pandanus and yams in archaeological sites dated to 49,000 to 36,000 years ago, which are among the oldest human sites in this region. The sites also contain stone tools thought to be used to remove trees, which suggests that the early inhabitants cleared forest patches to promote the growth of useful plants.
Oceanic Culture History: Essays …, 1996
Archaeology in Oceania, 1991
... Obsidian sources at Mopir, West New Britain Province, Papua New Guinea Richard Fullagar, Glen... more ... Obsidian sources at Mopir, West New Britain Province, Papua New Guinea Richard Fullagar, Glenn Summerhayes, Baiva Ivuyoand Jim Specht Abstract ... Changes through time in relative proportions of obsidian from Lou Island, Talasea and Mopir suggest fluctuations in ...
Journal of Anthropological Archaeology, 2015
This paper emphasises sub-regional variation in the timing and nature of subsistence changes in t... more This paper emphasises sub-regional variation in the timing and nature of subsistence changes in the New Guinea Highlands at the Pleistocene–Holocene transition. An analysis of the Kiowa lithic assemblage was used to examine the interplay between tool technology, mobility levels, and subsistence strategies by investigating changes in the procurement, manufacture, and use of different raw stone materials in an overall lithic technology. Throughout Kiowa’s occupation local stone was used extensively, and over time people increased their knowledge of the local lithic landscape, using more diverse local raw materials. Since the terminal Pleistocene, people carried reliable polished axes for a variety of activities and made expedient use of locally abundant river pebbles, while smaller nodules were located and carried as mobile toolkits to facilitate longer distance hunting and collecting excursions. In the mid Holocene exotic raw materials were also traded from more distant zones. The abandonment of Kiowa in the late Holocene shows that hunting became less economically important as cultivation developed in the area. Technological changes, in combination with changes in faunal remains are suggestive of increasing activ- ity at Kiowa through the Holocene as the site became specialised for bat hunting, perhaps driven by restricted land use and reduced mobility, reciprocally affected by increasing populations and the inten- sification of plant food production in the Highlands generally. Despite this, evidence for changes to hor- ticulture around Kiowa itself, in the Chimbu area, is limited to the mid-late Holocene, indicating that the early development of agriculture in the Wahgi may have been relatively localised, and did not necessarily displace existing subsistence strategies elsewhere in the Highlands.
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Papers by Glenn Summerhayes