Phillip Beaumont's final PhD Seminar
Earthenware pottery is one of the most important artefacts in the Neolithic archaeology of Island Southeast Asia (ISEA) including the region of Wallacea. It is seen as a primary marker of the Neolithic transition throughout the region yet its initial appearance varies considerably between island locations and sites. While several sites demonstrate its arrival in the Neolithic timeframe of around 3500-2500 BP, many more sites see its use beginning from the early Metal Age at about 2500 year ago and later. Plotting the emergence of pottery using communities across Wallacea results in a temporal and spatial patchiness where some islands, and locations within islands, take-up pottery early while in other areas the timing is quite different.
This seminar presents research outcomes on five pottery assemblages from a relatively tight geographic area within southern Wallacea. The pottery has been recovered from sites in Timor-Leste as well as the proximate Indonesian islands of Alor and Lembata. The research highlights the variable timing of the initial use of pottery and considers this in light of established models that have sought to explain the dispersal of ceramics throughout ISEA and its association with the Neolithic transition.
Aside from the differences in timing, the pottery exhibits attributes where diversity is apparent rather than unity. The earthenwares show many similarities in form and manufacture but in terms of styling and decoration, a range of idiosyncratic designs and surface treatments characterise each assemblage. The research contends that the reasons for the establishment of pottery-using communities lie mostly in the particular circumstances and nature of any of the specific locations. Each assemblage is considered in the context of the sites, including environmental factors, inferred historical experience, as well as some local knowledge and legend.
