Asian Perspectives, vol. 36, no. 2 (1997)

ARTICLES:

On Early Pottery-Making in the Russian Far East, pp. 159-174
Irina Zhushchikhovskaya

Until recently, the Japanese archipelago has been the only known area of late Pleistocene"early Holocene pottery-making sites in both the Japan Sea basin and eastern Asia as a whole. During the 1990s, however, a series of sites containing ceramics similar to early pottery from Japan (i.e., Jomon) was discovered in the Russian Far East, including the Lower Amur River basis. Basic traits of the ceramics at the sites include untempered or plant tempered paste, simplicity of forming technique and shape, undeveloped surface treatment technology, and low-temperature firing. The ages of these Russian Far East early ceramic assemblages range from 13,000 to 7000 B.P., corresponding to the transition from the late Pleistocene to early Holocene. The oldest Russian Far East ceramics are accompanied by stone artifacts made in the blade technique. This association is common at sites from the Japan Sea basin containing early pottery.

Keywords: Russian Far East, late Pleistocene, early Holocene, early ceramics, pottery-making technology.

Dating Lapita Pottery in the Bismarck Archipelago, Papua, New Guinea, pp.175-199
Jim Specht and Chris Gosden

Dates for the appearance of Lapita pottery suggest a rapid expansion from the Bismarck Archipelago in the north to Western Polynesia in the south. Kirch and Hunt (1988a, 1988b) see this as instantaneous in archaeological and radiocarbon terms, but Spriggs (1990) proposes a 'pause' in the Bismarck Archipelago. We review the dates from the Bismarck area and note that two interpretations are possible, depending on which dates are accepted. Lapita pottery may have begun there later than the accepted date of cal 3450-3550 BP, or it could have begun in the Mussau Islands earlier than on New Britain. Both views raise questions about Lapita presence in this region, and have implications for its spread to more southerly islands. A maximum time range of from cal 3300 to 2100 BP is suggested for the Bismarck Archipelago, with most dates falling between 3100 and 2300 BP. The end date of Lapita is problematical, since it depends on how the end is defined. The paper concludes with some observations on the implications of the revised dating for understanding Lapita sites.

Keywords: dating, calibration, Lapita, shell, charcoal

Maori Subsistence Change: Zooarchaeological Evidence from the Traditional Dog of New Zealand, pp. 200-219
Geoffrey R. Clark

The dental wear and the post-cranial dimensions of the prehistoric dog of New Zealand (kuri) are shown to reflect the Maori environment in which it lived. Midshaft dimensions become smaller and tooth wear advanced in late prehistoric groups. Nutrition is likely to have been the single most important causative factor in the observed temporal shift. The changes match archaeological evidence for a subsistence move by Maori away from large game taxa toward a focus on marine and horticultural products. It is suggested that there is a potential for profitable collaboration between zooarchaeologists, studying commensal species, and physical anthropologists involved in the analysis of prehistoric human remains.

Keywords: Maori, dog, kuri, skeletal variation, tooth wear, New Zealand

The Salient Features of Site Location in the Andaman Islands, Indian Ocean, pp. 220-231
Zarine Cooper

The results of archaeological surveys in the Andamans have been combined with information gleaned from local oral traditions in order to correlate the ecological determinants of site location with the criteria for marking and identifying encampments. The implications of the distinction between the two sets of criteria are examined.

Keywords: Andaman Islands, South Asia place names, settlement patterns

REVIEW ESSAYS:

Resolving the Enigmas of New Caledonia and Melanesia Prehistory: A Review, pp. 232-244
Patrick V. Kirch

The Dynamic Realm of the Indian Ocean: A Review, pp. 245-259
Monica L. Smith

OBITUARY:

Sood Sangvichien, 1907-1995, pp.260-264
Vadhana Subhavan, Somsak Pramankij, and Wilhelm G. Solheim, II

Some Memories of Dr. Sood Sangvichien, p. 265
Michael Pietrusewsky

BOOK REVIEWS, pp. 266-272