Re-Dating Lapita Movement into Remote Oceania

Abstract

Understanding the nature and process of initial Pacific settlement by people carrying the Lapita culture is ultimately founded upon accurate knowledge of the timing and speed of settlement. This paper reports on re-dating of one of the earliest Lapita sites (SE-SZ-8) from Santa Cruz in the Temotu Province of the Solomon Islands on the western margin of Remote Oceania. Our results indicate this site is considerably younger than previously believed and comparison of this result to other early Lapita sites suggests initial settlement of Remote Oceania was at not much more than 3000 BP. This would argue for very rapid Lapita settlement of much of the South-western Pacific.