People and Culture in Oceania
Online ISSN : 2433-2194
Print ISSN : 1349-5380
Articles
Lapita-Scape: Research Possibilities Using the Digital Database of Lapita Pottery
Scarlett Chiu
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ジャーナル オープンアクセス

2011 年 27 巻 p. 39-63

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Perceived as one of the most significant cultural markers of Austronesian movement into the Pacific, Lapita pottery appeared in the Bismarck Archipelago of Papua New Guinea some 3,500 years ago with highly complex decorative motifs and vessel forms. Pacific archaeologists have been using various statistical means to search for patterns from which migration routes and directions may be inferred by comparing frequencies of certain design elements and motifs, as well as motif construction rules, over time and space. How these highly elaborated decorative styles and pottery-making techniques were shared or transformed from one island to another, and how many of these techniques continued to be practiced for many hundreds of years, are intriguing questions whose answers will broaden our understanding of the past. Due to the limitations of previous coding systems and the lack of a fast and reliable communication platform, however, comparison of complex vessel forms and motifs amongst various island groups has been seriously crippled throughout the past few decades. After six years of design and testing, the beta version of an online database built for enhancing the possibilities of research on Lapita pottery is now being offered to the public. In this paper I will present this newly developed online Lapita pottery database and its applications for future research. Four major functions will enable scholars to perform detailed analysis: (1) a combination of data and GIS system that provides a spatial view of results; (2) a complex motif and vessel form search engine that makes it possible to search for a given sequence of motifs on any specific vessel form; (3) a comprehensive recording scheme that stores numerous attribute details for a given sherd; and (4) a simple online statistical tool for quick assessment of frequency counts.

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© 2011 Japanese Society for Oceanic Studies
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