30 years after P. Gorecki and D. S. Gillieson in Papua New Guinea: New Data on the Holocene Settlement of East Sepik, Upper Karawari-Arafundi Region

Hubert Forestier (1) , Jason Kariwiga (2) , Henri Baills (3, 1) , Roxanne Tsang (2, 4) , Simon Puaud (1) , Kenneth Miampa (5) , Sébastien Plutniak (6) , Alois Kuaso (5) , Francois-Xavier Ricaut (7) , Matthew Leavesley (8, 9, 2)

1 HNHP - Histoire naturelle de l'Homme préhistorique
2 UPNG - University of Papua New Guinea
3 CERP - Centre Européen de Recherches Préhistoriques
4 Griffith University [Brisbane]
5 National Museum and Art Gallery
6 TRACES - Travaux et recherches archéologiques sur les cultures, les espaces et les sociétés
7 EDB - Evolution et Diversité Biologique
8 College of Arts, Society and Education
9 University of Wollongong [Australia]

Our research at Paimbumkanja (PBK) rock shelter (East Sepik, PNG) uncovered an archaeological sequence dating back to the late Holocene between 2,956 and 1,300 years cal. BP. Two stratigraphic units (SU1 and SU2) contained lithic tools, and the raw materials used for knapping were mainly local. The modalities of the knapping process follow a chaîne opératoire associating debitage and shaping methods. Human occupation in the PBK site is part of the Holocene chrono-sequence proposed by P. Gorecki and D. S. Gillieson in 1989. This confirms a blade production associated to macro-tools from 3,000 years BP in the Sepik lowlands.

Mots clés: New Guinea; Papua New Guinea; Lithic industries; Lithic industry; Sepik; East Sepik

Domaines: Archéologie et Préhistoire

Hubert Forestier, Jason Kariwiga, Henri Baills, Roxanne Tsang, Simon Puaud, et al.. 30 years after P. Gorecki and D. S. Gillieson in Papua New Guinea: New Data on the Holocene Settlement of East Sepik, Upper Karawari-Arafundi Region. Noel Hidalgo Tan. Advancing Southeast Asian Archaeology 2019, SEAMEO SPAFA Regional Centre for Archaeology and Fine Arts, pp.184-200, 2020, 978-616-7961-48-4. ⟨hal-03138502⟩