Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
10498708 | Journal of Anthropological Archaeology | 2013 | 12 Pages |
Abstract
The first people in SÄmoa produced a varied ceramic archaeological record including a single deposit with decorated Lapita ceramics on the island of 'Upolu in the west of the archipelago and a nearly contemporaneous plainware deposit over 250Â km to the east on Ofu Island. Post-Lapita ceramic change across SÄmoa is similar with almost no decoration, local ceramic production, limited vessel form diversity, and changing frequencies of thin- and thick-wares. This SÄmoan ceramic record is different from nearby Tonga and Fiji where early decorated Lapita ceramics are widely distributed, there are no thickness-defined ware types, and for Fiji, post-Lapita ceramics are more variable. Here we investigate the apparent uniqueness of the SÄmoan ceramic record through an analysis of early plainware ceramics, the second oldest after the Ofu deposits, from Tutuila Island in the center of the SÄmoan archipelago. Our assemblage-specific findings are similar to other SÄmoan plainware analyses, but we suggest the ceramic and other archaeological evidence from SÄmoa and the region indicates SÄmoa was colonized by a few isolated groups and that within the context of cultural transmission of ceramic variants, selection explains thickness variation and likely other aspects of SÄmoan ceramic change.
Related Topics
Social Sciences and Humanities
Arts and Humanities
History
Authors
Ethan E. Cochrane, Timothy M. Rieth, William R. Dickinson,