Detecting exchange networks in New Britain, Papua New Guinea: geochemical comparisons between axe‐adze blades and in situ volcanic rock sources

Abstract

ABSTRACT Compared to elsewhere in Oceania, the history and character of stone axe‐adze production and exchange in the Bismarck Archipelago is very poorly known. To explore the feasibility of using geochemical analysis to trace past social interaction, we conducted a non‐destructive portable XRF study of 97 ground stone artefacts from archaeological contexts in New Britain and the ethnographic collection at the Australian Museum. The study capitalised on the well‐documented spatial distribution of geochemical variation resulting from the plate‐tectonic history of the region. The results indicate that prehistoric communities in New Britain specialised in goods such as ground stone tools or obsidian in order to facilitate social interaction over a large region.

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