Pacific Science (1975), Vol. 29, No.4, p. 309-315Printed in Great Britain

Lapita Pottery and a Lower Sea Level in Western Samoa I"0

R. Co GREEN2 AND HORACE G. RICHARDS3

ABSTRACT: Radiocarbon dates are presented supporting previous estimates of a2800- to 3000-year B.P. age for a collection of Lapita pottery sherds recovered bydredging a now-submerged coastal settlement on the island of Upolu in WesternSamoa. New data describing a much enlarged collection are discussed in relation topreviously reported materials, and the question of possible changes of sea level asthe mechanism for submergence is evaluated.

IN RECENT YEARS, Polynesian origins have in-creasingly become identified with certain earlysites that range from New Britain to Tonga andSamoa and that contain a type ofpottery knownas Lapita (Figure 1). Excavations of sites in theTongan, Fijian, New Caledonian, New Hebri-des, and Santa Cruz groups and on small islandsoff the coasts of New Britain and New Irelandhave provided data leading to the definition ofan associated artifact assemblage-perhapsmore properly termed a "cultural complex,"because the array of artifacts from these sites ismore varied than the pottery and is not alwaysas distinctive. Thus, it is the easily recognizeddecorated pottery in every site (Figure 2) thathas provided the initial means of linking thesematerials.

The history of the identification of Lapitaassemblages as the ancestral cultural complexfrom which the earliest Polynesian culturalassemblages were derived has been reviewed byGolson (1971), Groube (1971), and Green(1973). Until recently, however, archaeologicalevidence for this hypothesis has rested largelyon the materials recovered from Fiji and Tonga.The discovery, therefore, of similar materials inSamoa has strengthened considerably the elaimsmade for the same antiquity of settlement thereas in the other two island groups and for thedevelopment of a distinctive Polynesian cul-tural assemblage in Samoa itself from localassemblages of the Lapita complex.

J Manuscript received 6 January 1975.Z The UniversityofAuckland, Private Bag, Auckland,

New Zealand.3 The Academy of Natural Sciences, Nineteenth and

the Parkway, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19103.

The recent discovery of other assemblageswith Eastern Lapita-style pottery in Ha'apai,Vava'u, and Niuatoputapu in the Tongan group(Davidson 1971, Kaeppler 1973, Rogers 1974),in conjunction with the Samoan discovery,implies that early Eastern Lapita populationswere resident throughout the Fijian, Tongan,and Samoan area before any distinctive develop-ment of Lapita culture in the Polynesian direc-tion took place. The recovery of a related plainpottery, as in Samoa, from a site on Futuna(B. G. Biggs, personal communication to R. CoGreen, Auckland Museum no. 46332, 46371)indicates that in at least three island groups ofthe region-Samoa, Tonga, and Futuna-localdevelopments of Polynesian-type cultures oc-curred from founding Lapita populations. How-ever, the sole island group for which we cantrace continued continuity of cultural develop-ment to present-day Polynesians is in WesternSamoa (Green and Davidson 1974: 224), as thelast 2000 years of the Tongan sequence is butlittle known and archaeological investigationin Futuna is being undertaken only now (P. V.Kirch personal communication to R. Co Green).Thus, in the present circumstances, a Lapita sitein Western Samoa that extends the sequence ofthat island group back another 700 years to anearly Eastern Lapita-style pottery assemblage isof considerable importance to the documenta-tion of Polynesian origins.

Assistance in the identification and interpreta-tion of the mollusks was given by Dr. R. TuckerAbbott of the Delaware Museum of NaturalHistory in Greenville, Delaware.

309 20-2

310

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FIGURE 1. Present distribution of sites that have been assigned to the Lapita cultural complex.

FIGURE 2. Design of flat-bottomed Lapita dish from the BS-RL-2 site, Reef Islands, Santa Cruz group.

Lapita Pottery-GREEN AND RICHARDS

Background of Samoan Discovery

In 1964, when only the outlines of a 2000-year-long sequence for Western Samoa wereknown, it was necessary to argue that materialsbelonging to the first third of the Samoansequence had not as yet been recovered. Itwas made conditional on a postulated 2000-year antiquity of settlement in East Polynesiaand a hypothesis that East Polynesia came fromWest Polynesia (Green and Davidson, unpub-lished preliminary report). As investigationscontinued from 1965 to 1967, the requirementfor a Samoan sequence longer than 2000 yearswas reinforced by the discovery of additionalsites with Polynesian Plain Ware pottery.

Polynesian Plain Ware may be distinguishedfrom ceramics of the Lapita series by its totallack of the use of the dentate stamp in decora-tion and the confinement of such decoration asdoes occur (less than 3 percent and in somecases none) to the rims of vessels, In addition,there is a concentration on several simple bowlforms of various sizes and shapes at the expenseof open-mouthed subglobular pots and analmost complete lack of shouldered and flat-bottomed vessels of types common in Lapitaassemblages, 'This means that continuity is pro-vided by the largely unstudied and undecoratedLapita vessels of bowl shape. Also the spatialdistribution of Polynesian Plain Ware is Tonga,Samoa, the Marquesas, and probably Futuna,and its time depth is approximately 4th centuryB.C. to 3rd century A.D., which contrasts withthe island Melanesian distribution of Lapitamaterials whose time depth is prior to the 4thcentury B.C.

Yet, the lack of direct evidence of earliercoastal assemblages more closely related to theLapita examples found in Tonga and Fiji madeit difficult to furnish strong support for thisposition, Thus, it was possible for Groube(1971 : 279) to argue that current archaeologicalexamination of Samoa made unlikely the state-ment that the first 3rd of Samoan prehistory wasas yet unexplored, and to see no reason whySamoan settlement had occurred earlier than300-200 B.C. unless secure dates for East Poly-nesian settlement were pushed back before thethen-accepted datings of 400 A.D. This allowedGroube to conclude that the initial changes

311

from earlier Lapita assemblages to those withPolynesian Plain Ware took place in Tonga, andonly after these occurred did a more Polynesian-like cultural tradition become transferred andestablished in Samoa and perhaps in otherislands of West Polynesia.

There are now several grounds on which thisconclusion may be challenged, grounds quiteapart from the discovery of Lapita pottery inSamoa. One is the increasing probability thatthe earliest sites associated with pottery in theMarquesas date to before 300 A.D. and, in fact,have not been investigated (Green 1974: 247).The second is the probability that presentcoastal settlements on the raised beach sands ofWestern Samoa date from the last 1500 years(Green and Davidson 1974: 222-223), suggest-ing that the most likely places for earlier coastalsettlement have not been examined. The thirdis the hypothesis that some changes in Lapitaartifacts in the Polynesian direction recorded inthe pottery, adzes, and shell tools and orna-ments in Samoa are, in part, to be explained bythe crossing of the andesite line and the need toadapt (in contrast to Fiji and Tonga) to the bio-geographically most impoverished part of thePacific (Green 1974: 267, 275).

The Ferry Berth Site

Our original information on the first collec-tions of pottery from the site at the Mulifanuaend of the island of Upolu and Western Samoawas limited to some 563 sherds, of which some8 percent were decorated, and to some generalcomments on its location. More detailed recordsmade by Jennings (1974), in cooperation withthe project engineer, T. T. Hassall (who was incharge of the blasting and dredging to create aturning basin and berth for the interislandferries), have revealed the precise location andstratigraphic context (Figure 3). All evidenceindicates that the site was an elongated settle-ment on a former coral-sand beach locatedparallel to the present-day shoreline, a beachwhich is now approximately 2.7 meters belowmean sea level. It would appear that refuse fromthe settlement was submerged and sealed infairly quickly through a rise in sea level inrelation to the land, so that deposits were littledisturbed and most sherds not badly eroded.

312 PACIFIC SCIENCE, Volume 29, October 1975

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FIGURE 3. Location and geological context of Ferry Berth site, Western Samoa.

The problem of whether the changes weremovements of land or sea level or both has notbeen resolved.

More recent collections from dredging in theturning basin have provided an additional 4288

sherds, of which 4.1 percent are decorated.Among the Plain Ware sherds were 873 piecesof interest belonging to rims, necks, shoulders,and bases ofa variety of vessels of typical Lapitaforms. It is probable that the percentage of

Lapita Pottery-GREEN AND RICHARDS

decorated ware is somewhat lower than itshould be, for we know that some decoratedpieces were retained by various interestedparties. It is also prob:J.ble that the amount ofdecoration in the first collection is somewhathigh owing to an initial interest in these pieces.Thus, approximately 5 to 7 percent of the pot-tery in the site belongs to the decoratedcategory.

From the style and frequency of the deco-rated sherds of pottery, from the vessel formsrepresented, from 14C ages for comparablepottery from Fiji and Tonga, and from 14C agesfor coral and shell overlaying the site (seebelow), we can assign it to the Early EasternLapita style of the Lapita ceramic series (Green1974) and place its age at circa 1000 B.C. Fromthe studies of the temper of the pottery in allsites in Samoa, we can confidently say not onlythat the Ferry Berth pottery was made locally,but also that it was probably made on the endof the island on which it was found (Dickinson1974). Finally, from a close analysis of tech-niques of manufacture, vessel form, and decor-ation, we can argue with reasonable confidencethat the Lapita pottery of Samoa was ancestralto the well-dated Polynesian Plain Ware of thefirst few centuries B.C. to the first few centuriesA.D., before pottery manufacture in Samoaceased (Green 1974: 248). This latter pottery,of course, is that associated with culturalassemblages containing the range of other por-table artifacts and structural features that beginthe well-documented and continuous part ofthe Samoan sequence of the last 2300 years. Weconclude that the Ferry Berth site represents alocal assemblage of the Lapita complex at theearly end of the Samoan sequence, after whichthere is a gap before reaching materials fromthe first few centuries B.C.

Relative Changes in Sea Level

As stated above, the explanation of theSamoan site being below present sea level canbe interpreted either by changes in sea level orby movements of the land. As far as Holocenechanges in sea level are concerned, there aretwo major schools of thought. One, proposedby Fairbridge (1961), shows several stands ofthe sea as being higher than at the present, all

313

within the past 6000 years. The other interpre-tation, held by Shepard (1963) and others, indi-cates a gradual rise of the sea from the lastglacial episode to the present, with no standsbeing higher than now.

As will be stated below, other Lapita sites inthe Polynesian region occur on " raisedbeaches" above present sea level. This mightseem to confirm the" Fairbridge Curve," indi-cating sea level both above and below that ofthe present during the late Holocene. On theother hand, it must be realized that many ofthese islands are highly tectonic, and, therefore,it is equally possible that the higher beacheswith the Lapita cultural material were upliftedduring relatively recent times. ,

The presence of the cultural material belowpresent sea level and covered with a coquinadeposit can be explained by a lower sea levelduring the Holocene rise from the glacial lowstand. A sea level about 3000 years ago that wassome 2.7 meters lower than that of today islogical. Furthermore, it does not disproveFairbridge's contention of a Holocene sea stand

'higher than that of today.

Molluscan Fauna

Seven species of marine mollusks have beenidentified from the coquina lying above thecultural layer. These are: Gastropoda-Euchelusstratus (Gmelin), Turbo sp. (operculum only),Cerithium aluco (Linnaeus), Strombus mutabilisSwainson, Cypraea annulus Linnaeus, and Bullaampula (Linnaeus); Bivalvia-Fragum fragutlJ(Linnaeus). All are living today in Samoanwaters and are generally found from the inter-tidal line to a depth of 5 meters of water. Alllive in the vicinity of coral lagoons or reefs.

14Carbon Dates

Two radiocarbon results confirming previousestimates of 2800 to 3000 years B.P. (Jennings1974: 176; Green and Davidson 1974: 224) arenow available., The samples used were piecesfrom the base of the cemented coral crust orcoquina (Figure 3) which contained shells andpieces of pottery as inclusions. One result, NZ1958, dates the shells included in field sample

314

TABLE 1

RESULTS OF "CARBON TESTING OF CORAL CRUST ORCOQUINA LAYER FROM SUBMERGED BEACH OFF

WESTERN SAMOA

AGE IN YEARS

SAMPLE STANDARD BEFORE 1950

NZ 1958A old Tt 2890±80NZ 1958B newTt 2980±80·NZ 1959A old Tt 2170± 70NZ 1959B newTt 2230±70

NOTE: Corrections supplied by the New ZealandRadiocarbon Dating Laboratory.

SU/Cf18/1; the other, NZ 1959, the coral thatformed the cementing agent. Results in theform as they are now reported by the NewZealand Radiocarbon Dating Laboratory areshown in Table 1. As requested by the labora-tory, I discussed the first result with J. C.Schofield of the New Zealand Geological Sur-vey, Otara, because the laboratory was worriedabout the possibility of recrystallization in thecoral during or after cementation. Basing hisopinion on other work, Schofield correctly pre-dicted that the coral result would prove to betoo young and would have to be checkedagainst the shell inclusions. He also believedthat the coral crust would have formed fairlyrapidly, so that no great interval in time needhave elapsed between abandonment of the siteand the formation of the protecting coral crust.This fits with the generally good state of pres-ervation of most of the pottery sherds and theshells. Since the age of the shell inclusions con-forms with expections, both in relation to thecoral date and to previous estimates for potteryassemblages of this type, we accept it as areasonable estimate.

Other Lapita Sites

Other Lapita sites, a few of them of slightlygreater antiquity, are known from Tonga, Fiji,New Caledonia, the New Hebrides, and theSanta Cruz group. Some are associated withchanges between land and sea levels. Thus,early sites on Malo in the New Hebrides are ona raised beach level inland of the present coast(J. Hedrick, personal communication to R. C.

PACIFIC SCIENCE, Volume 29, October 1975

Green), as is the earliest site on Santa CruzIsland (Nendo) of three dated sites in the SantaCruz group. Sites in New Caledonia are alsoassociated with raised beaches, which may indi-cate former higher stands of sea level (Frimi-gacci 1971, 1974), as may some of the sites inTongatapu (Groube 1971: 297). On Niuatopu-tapu, all Lapita sites are confined to a formerraised beach level that encircles the rising centerof the island, whereas none are found in theexposed former lagoon flats later used for occu-pation (Rogers 1974). Thus, archaeological evi-dence of Lapita materials from a wide area ofgeologically fairly diverse island types is associ-ated with relative changes between land and sealevel from 1300 B.C. to about 500 B.C. In thiscontext, the presence of a Lapita site in Samoafrom a now submerged situation is sufficientlyinteresting to warrant further geologicalinvestigation.

LITERATURE CITED

DAVIDSON, J. M. 1971. Preliminary report onan archaeological survey of the Vava'ugroup, Tonga. Pages 29-40 in R. Fraser,compiler. Cook Bicentenary Expedition inthe south-west Pacific. Bull. R. Soc. N.Z. 8.

DICKINSON, W. R. 1974. Temper sands insherds from Mulifauna and comparison withsimilar tempers at Vailele and Sasoa'a(Falefa). Pages 179-180 in R. C. Green andJ. M. Davidson, eds. Archaeology in WesternSamoa. Vol. 2. Bull. Auckland Inst. Mus. 7.

FAIRBRIDGE, R. W. 1961. Eustatic charges insea level. Pages 99-185 in L. H. Ahrens, F.Press, K. Rankama, and S. K. Runcorn, eds.Physics and chemistry of the earth. Vol. 4.Pergamon Press, New York. v+317 pp.

FRIMIGACCI, D. 1971. Fouilles archeologiquesa Vatcha (pres de Vao), tIe des Pins. Etud.Melanesiennes 21-25: 23-42.

---. 1974. Les deux niveaux a poterie dusite de Vatcha. J. Soc. Oceanistes 42-43: 25-70.

GOLSON, J. 1971. Lapita ware and its transfor-mations. Pages 67-76 in R. C. Green and M.Kelly, eds. Studies in Oceanic culture his-tory. Vol. 2. Pacific Anthropological Records.No. 12. Bernice P. Bishop Museum, Depart-ment of Anthropology, Honolulu.

Lapita Pottery-GREEN AND RICHARDS

GREEN, R. C. 1973. Lapita pottery and the ori-gins of Polynesian culture. Aust. Nat. Hist.17(10): 332-337.

---. 1974. A review of portable artifactsfrom Western Samoa. Pages 245-275 in R. C.Green and J. M. Davidson, eds. Archaeologyin Western Samoa. Vol. 2. Bull. Aucklandlnst. Mus. 7.

GREEN, R. c., and J. M. DAVIDSON. 1974. Aradiocarbon and stratigraphic sequence forSamoa. Pages 212-224 in R. C. Green andJ. M. Davidson, eds. Archaeology in WesternSamoa. Vol. 2. Bull. Auckland lnst. Mus. 7.

GROUBE, L. M. 1971. Tonga, Lapita pottery andPolynesian origins. J. Polynesian Soc. 80(3):278-316.

315

JENNINGS, J. D. 1974. The Ferry Berth site,Mulifanua district, Upolu. Pages 176-178 inR. C. Green and J. M. Davidson, eds. Ar-chaeology in Western Samoa. Vol. 2. Bull.Auckland lnst. Mus. 7.

KAEPPLER, A. L. 1973. Pottery sherds fromTungua, Ha'apai: and remarks on potteryand social structure in Tonga. J. PolynesianSoc. 82(2): 218-222.

ROGERS, G. 1974. Archaeological discoveries onNiuatoputapu Island, Tonga. J. PolynesianSoc. 83(3): 308-348.

SHEPARD, F. P. 1963. Thirty-five thousand yearsof sea level. Pages 1-10 in Thomas Clements,ed. Essays in marine geology in honor ofK. O. Emery. University of Southern Califor-nia Press, Los Angeles. 201 pp.