Melanesia

The region comprising New Guinea, the Bismarck Archipelago, the Solomons, Vanuatu, New Caledonia, Fiji, and minor intermediate groups. Early Australoid settlers reached New Guinea when it was joined to Australia, by at least 30,000-40,000 years ago, and the New Guinea Highlands have a long, stable archaeological sequence extending into the Holocene (Kospie, Kiowa, Kafianvana). The Highlands may also have seen an independent development of early Holocene horticulture (Kuk). The Bismarcks and Solomons (Kilu) seem to have been occupied by c 30,000 bp. Settlement of the rest of Melanesia may have occurred as part of the expansion of Austronesian speakers in the Pacific. Major archaeological entities include the Lapita culture and the Manaasi pottery tradition.

An ethnographic region comprising New Guinea, the Bismarck Archipelago, the Solomons, Vanuatu, New Caledonia, Fui and minor intermediate groups. Early Australoid settlers reached New Guinea when it was joined to Australia, by at least 30,00040,000 years ago, and the New Guinea Highlands have a long and stable archaeological sequence extending into the Holocene (Kosipe, Kiowa, Kafiavana). The Highlands may also have seen an independent development of early Holocene horticulture (Kuk). The Bismarck Archipelago east of New Guinea was settled before 9000 be (Misisil Cave), but the Solomons, New Caledonia and Vanuatu were probably first settled by AusTRONESiAN-speakers about 3000 bc. Ilie later prehistory of Melanesia is complex, but major archaeological entities include the Lapita culture and the Mangaasi pottery tradition. See also Polynesian outliers.