Stone mortar and pestle distribution in New Britain revisited. In A Pacific Odyssey: Archaeology and Anthropology in the Western Pacific. Papers in Honour of Jim Specht

Abstract

This is the first of a series of regional studies on the distribution of stone mortars and pestles in Papua New Guinea (PNG). The pan distribution of these artefacts in New Britain, in conjunction with preliminary results from other parts of PNG, supports the view that there is a positive correlation in the distribution of stone mortars and pestles and taro cultivation. This result raises the possibility that these artefacts provide a signature of where people were growing taro in PNG from about 7,000 to 3,500 years ago.