The Australian National University-National Museum of Vanuatu Archaeology Project: A Preliminary Report on the Establishment of Cultural Sequences and Rock Art Research

Abstract

Despite an intensive period of research in Vanuatu in the 1960s and J 970s, a number of basic questions regarding the archaeology of the archipelago have remained largely unexplored. The Australian National University-National Museum of Vanuatu Archaeological Project, which began in 1994, was established in an attempt to rectify some of these archaeological gaps. Research has been carried out on islands in the northern (Malakula, Maewo), central (Efate), and southern (Erromango) regions of Vanuatu. The work has concentrated on establishing ceramic sequences for the different islands and on a further understanding of the rock art, including its meaning and changes through time. The evidence collected thus far overwhelmingly indicates that the islands were initially colonized some 3000 years ago by Lapita settlers. Negative evidence thus far indicates that the islands were not settled prior to the arrival of Lapita colonizers. Dentate-stamped Lapita ceramics arrived with the initial colonizers and the ceramic traditions that followed evolved from the Lapita tradition. KEYWORDS: Vanuatu, Lapita, Mangaasi, ceramic sequences, rock art, radiocarbon dates.