The Emergence of Mailu : as a central place in coastal Papuan prehistory

Abstract

This monograph is the result of the tying together of three separate strands. The first was the remarkable development on Mailu Island of a large community of specialist potters, makers of shell valuables, and sea-going traders. The second strand was the particular stage that had been reached in the archaeological exploration of coastal Papua New Guinea by the early 1970s which directed attention, wit.11 some luck as w<·ll as planning, to that part of the southcastern coast. The third was that the set of interests I took with me were, in some ways, suited to the situation I found there. Show more