Abstract:
In this thesis I examine change in ceramic quality and production over time (3000- 2500 BP) in the Lapita site series SE-SZ8, SE-RF2, SE-RF6, and SE-RF19 from Reef/Santa Cruz Island Group in the southeast Solomon Islands. I seek to provide a more rigorous evaluation of ceramic quality and to evaluate the degree to which simplification of Lapita pottery technology over time, which led to the eventual loss of production in much of the Western Pacific including the Reef/Santa Cruz Island Group, is related to a decline in quality as monitored by firing temperature and manufacturing technique. Experimentation using re-firing and measurement of change in magnetic susceptibility is used to estimate original firing temperatures. Results show there is a significantly lower mean firing temperature at the post-Lapita site, SE-RF19. There is no statistical difference between the mean firing temperatures at the three Lapita sites. However, SE-SZ8 does have the lowest mean firing temperature, which coincides with design analysis results indicating SE-SZ8 to have the lowest quality pottery of the three Lapita sites. A micro-CT scanner is employed to investigate methods of manufacture. The results of this portion of the study demonstrate that the coiling method of pottery manufacture was not employed.
