Lapita culture

Quick Facts: Who was Lapita culture?

Subject:

Lapita culture

Known for:

Neolithic Austronesian culture known for its distinctive dentate-stamped pottery across the Pacific.

Verified Source:

2Day Chrono-Wiki & Primary Historical Archives

Origins & Early Life

The Lapita culture is a Neolithic Austronesian people and their distinct material culture, who settled Island Melanesia via a seaborne migration at around 1600 to 500 BCE. The Lapita people are believed to have originated from the northern Philippines, either directly, via the Mariana Islands, or both. They produced dentate-stamped pottery with distinctive geometric designs, which closely resemble the pottery recovered from the Nagsabaran archaeological site in northern Luzon. The Lapita intermarried with the Papuan populations to various degrees, and are the direct ancestors of the Austronesian peoples of Polynesia, eastern Micronesia, and Island Melanesia. The term "Lapita" was coined by archaeologists during a 1952 excavation in New Caledonia after mishearing a word in the local Haveke language, xapeta'a, which means "to dig a hole" or "the place where one digs".

Career & Major Achievements

The Lapita archaeological culture is named after the type site where it was first uncovered in the Foué peninsula on Grande Terre, the main island of New Caledonia. The excavation was carried out in 1952 by American archaeologists Edward W. Gifford and Richard Shutler Jr. at Site 13. The settlement and pottery sherds were later dated to 800 BCE and proved significant in research on the early peopling of the Pacific Islands. More than 200 Lapita sites have since been uncovered, ranging more than 4,000 km from coastal and island Melanesia to Fiji and Tonga with its most eastern limit in Samoa. The term Lapita is now used to refer to the collection of theories regarding the origin and features of the ancestors of the people that speak the Oceanic languages.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

It also refers to the material culture found in excavations, especially pottery, related to these ancestral communities. "Classic" Lapita pottery was produced between 1,600 and 1,200 BCE on the Bismarck Archipelago. Artifacts exhibiting Lapita designs and techniques from a period later than 1,200 BCE have been found in the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and New Caledonia. Lapita pottery styles from around 1,000 BCE have been found in Fiji and Western Polynesia. In Western Polynesia, Lapita pottery became less decorative and progressively simpler over time.

Chronological Milestones & Life Events

1. 1600: 1600 Milestone — The Lapita culture is a Neolithic Austronesian people and their distinct material culture, who settled Island Melanesia via a seaborne migration at around 1600 to 500 BCE.
2. 1952: 1952 Milestone — The term "Lapita" was coined by archaeologists during a 1952 excavation in New Caledonia after mishearing a word in the local Haveke language, xapeta'a, which means "to dig a hole" or "the place where one digs".

Historical Fact-Check Quiz: Lapita culture

True or False: “The term 'Lapita' was coined by archaeologists after mishearing a local word meaning something related to digging or excavation.”

Answer (TRUE ⭕): The term originated from the 1952 New Caledonia excavation, stemming from a mishearing of the local Haveke language word xapeta'a.

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Frequently Asked Questions about Lapita culture