Crowther, Alison (Archaeological Sciences Laboratories, University of Queensland)

Pots, Plants and Pacific Prehistory: Taro Residues on Lapita Pottery from Anir, New Ireland

It has long been argued on the basis of converging lines of archaeological, ethnographic and linguistic evidence that root crops such as Colocasia esculenta (taro) have a long history of use in the Pacific. As yet, however, few botanical remains have been found to lend support to this hypothesis (cf. Loy et al. 1992). This poster presents microbotanical evidence for taro processing found on Lapita pottery from Anir, New Ireland, dating to c.3300 BP.

***Best Student Poster Prize Winner, Australian Archaeological Association Annual Conference 2001***

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