Text

The Spice Islands in prehistory : archaeology in the Northern Moluccas, Indonesia

---

This monograph reports the results of archaeological investigations undertaken in the Northern Moluccas Islands (the Indonesian Province of Maluku Utara) by Indonesian, New Zealand and Australian archaeologists between 1989 and 1996. Excavations were undertaken in caves and open sites on four islands (Halmahera, Morotai, Kayoa and Gebe). The cultural sequence spans the past 35,000 years, commencing with shell and stone artefacts, progressing through the arrival of a Neolithic assemblage with red-slipped pottery, domesticated pigs and ground stone adzes around 1300 BC, and culminating in the appearance of Metal Age assemblages around 2000 years ago. The Metal Age also appears to have been a period of initial pottery use in Morotai Island, suggesting interaction between Austronesian-speaking and Papuan-speaking communities, whose descendants still populate these islands today.

The 13 chapters in the volume have multiple authors, and include site excavation reports, discussions of radiocarbon chronology, earthenware pottery, lithic and non-ceramic artefacts, worked shell, animal bones, human osteology and health.

---

Availability

No copy data

Detail Information

Series Title

Terra australis 50

Call Number

915.985 THE t

Publisher

Acton : ANU Press (Australian National University)., 2019

Collation

xiii, 236p. : ill.

Language

English

ISBN/ISSN

9781760462918

Classification

915.985

Content Type

-

Media Type

-

Carrier Type

-

Edition

-

Subject(s)

Antiquities
Indonesia--Maluku
Archaeology and history

Specific Detail Info

-

Statement of Responsibility

Edited by Peter Bellwood

Other version/related

File Attachment

Comments

---

You must be logged in to post a comment