Abstract
Located on the northern rim of the Bismarck Archipelago, the Lapita communities of the Mussau Islands have long been of particular interest to Pacific archaeologists. Egloff and others initially reported finds of fine dentate-stamped Lapita sherds on Eloaua island (ECA and ECB sites: see below) (Bafmatuk et al. 1980; Egloff 1975), while Allen and Specht, who also surveyed the area, found 16 possible archaeological sites (Allen et al. 1984:8-11, cited in Kirch 2001:58). During the 1985 Lapita Homeland Project and in subsequent field seasons in 1986 and 1988, Kirch and his team extended archaeological survey of this island group, and