Abstract
The research presented in this thesis involves the formal and decorative analysis of pottery excavated from Taurama from the Port Moresby region on the south coast of Papua New Guinea. Taurama was excavated by Sue Bulmer (1978) and contains material from both the Early Papuan Pottery (EPP) and post Early Papuan Pottery (post-EPP) periods. This research involves contrasting the pottery from these two temporal periods to understand changes in pottery production.
There are a number of central aims which are addressed relating to pottery production. The first is to create a comprehensive ceramic database detailing the formal nature of the pottery from Taurama. Previously, the ceramics of the site have primarily been understood through the decorative styles of Bulmer (1978). This analysis details pottery form alongside decoration to gain a deeper knowledge of the nature of Taurama pottery which can be further used to advance understanding of the wider south coast. Furthermore, this research applies a polythetic approach to analysis to understand both form and decoration outside the constraints of “Types” or “Styles” which has previously been used to categorise pottery from the region. This approach allows trends in form and decoration to be effectively understood independently from one another alongside the ability to better analyse individual ceramic attributes. Temporal analysis plays a fundamental role in the research. The first aspect of this is understanding any differences present in the material within the time periods of EPP and post-EPP. Furthermore, the form and decoration from EPP and post-EPP will be compared to identify what similarities and differences occur between temporal periods. The final goal of this research is to test whether Taurama was continuously occupied as Bulmer (1978) originally suggested or if there was a break in occupation between EPP and post-EPP.
This research has highlighted interesting results regarding the temporal nature of pottery production at Taurama. It confirmed decorative difference between EPP and post-EPP pottery alongside demonstrating clear formal differences between the two periods. A key aspect that has been discovered is difference in the trajectories of change between decorative and formal elements. Decoration shifts quickly at the site with post-EPP decoration being immediately clear. However, form shows a period of evolution at Taurama where the shift from EPP to post-EPP can be witnessed through ceramic trends. While it is not ultimately argued there was continuous occupation of Taurama, this result provides an unexpected perspective on ceramic change at Taurama and highlights the value of a polythetic analytical approach.