Archaeological research in action

The research of several ANU academics has been highlighted on the ABC Television program "Catalyst". 

Led by Dr Matthew Spriggs, Professor of Archaeology in the School of Archaeology and Anthropology at ANU, a group of archaeologists have been working on a site in Efate, Vanuatu that has helped shed light on the Diaspora of the Pacific.

The site, called Teouma, according to Professor Spriggs is "the first early Lapita cemetery that's been found and it's given us tremendous insights into their attitudes to death, the rituals involved in burial and also gives us a context for one use of the pottery which was...to accompany people in their graves".

Professor Spriggs has been working on this project in conjunction with other ANU academics including Mr Ian Moffat, PhD Student in the ANU Research School of Earth Sciences, and Professor Stuart Bedford and Dr Christian Reepmeyer from the ANU College of Asia and the Pacific. 

This ground breaking research has shed light on questions of burial and cultural customs of these pacific people.  According to Professor Stuart Bedford "of more than fifty years of research, two hundred and fifty Lapita sites found across the distribution from island New Guinea, right across to Fiji, Tonga, Samoa... there's only ever been a handful of burials and many people speculated that because they were sort of sea going people that perhaps most of the population was buried at sea".

Specimens of some of the rock found at the site in Vanuatu have been brought back to ANU for further geochemistry analysis to ascertain their origin.

Some of the artifacts that have been found during this research are now on display for the public.  Such is the rarity of the pots, after an initial display in Port Villa they will be exhibited in Paris.  The interest in these relics highlights the special nature of the work by the ANU researchers. 

The full transcript and video from the ABC's Catalyst program can be found here.