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Dates, disturbance and artefact distributions: another analysis of Buang Merabak, a Pleistocene site on New Ireland, Papua New Guinea
Author(s) -
Leavesley Matthew,
Allen Jim
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
archaeology in oceania
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1834-4453
pISSN - 0728-4896
DOI - 10.1002/j.1834-4453.1998.tb00405.x
Subject(s) - pleistocene , radiocarbon dating , radiometric dating , chronology , archaeology , new guinea , stratigraphy , excavation , geology , paleontology , physical geography , geography , history , ethnology , tectonics
Rosenfeld (1997) recently reported her excavations and the stratigraphy and radiometric chronology at Buang Merabak, a site probably first occupied c.32,000 radiocarbon years ago. While that report contains brief summaries of the artefact classes, we have now carried out more detailed analyses of these artefacts and report them here. Despite the need for further radiometric dating, we conclude, contra Rosenfeld, that the Pleistocene layers of this site are largely intact and offer further important evidence of Pleistocene human behaviour in New Ireland. These data both complement and extend the data from similarly aged sites in the region.