THE CREATION OF A PAPUA-NEW-GUINEAN LANDSCAPE - ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND GEOMORPHOLOGICAL EVIDENCE

This paper analyzes the creation of a landscape in Papua New Guinea ov er the past 3500 years under human influence. The Arawe Island group o ff the south coast of West New Britain Province in Papua New Guinea ha s been the subject of archaeological and geomorphological study from 1 986 to 1992. The evidence of sediments and the artifacts they contain offer a record of the long term history of the region. The fullest evi dence comes from the Lapita period dating from 3500 to 2000 bp., which has assemblages characterized by dentate stamped pottery, obsidian, a nd shell. During the Lapita period in the Arawes there is evidence of a clustered settlement pattern in the form of stilt villages built in shallow water on the lee sides of islands. These villages caused the b uild-up of beach sand beneath and around them; this has been preserved as law beach ridges by a slight fall in sea level (<1 m). Clays erode d from the interiors of the islands have been dammed behind these beac h ridges. Thus during the Lapita period many of the features of the lo wland portions of the islands as they exist today were created by huma n patterns of land use.