ARCHAEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF MYOLA, PAPUA NEW GUINEA

AN INTERNATIONAL ARCHAEOLOGICAL PROJECT

The project

On a project for Papua New Guinea Conservation and Environment Protection Authority (CEPA) in 2016, we carried out an archaeological surface survey of the Myola Basin and its immediate surroundings. This work is part of the Kokoda Initiative, a partnership between the Papua New Guinean and Australian governments, for the sustainable development of the Owen Stanley Ranges, Brown River Catchment, and Kokoda Track region, and the protection of its heritage values. The project met multiple objectives, including its contribution to the quantum of knowledge that may be used to prepare a future World Heritage nomination of the Owen Stanley Ranges, Brown River Catchment, and the Kokoda Track region.

Our Role

During the project Extent Heritage worked with people from the Kagi and Naduri villages to conduct test excavations, which revealed a range of sites dating back from at least 33,552 + 365 BP to recent times. We also found early pottery which is the only known example at this altitude in the region.

Value unlocked

The results from Myola remind us that we do not yet have a clear understanding of this region’s prehistoric past and that the response of its people to past climatic challenges are likely to have been much more complex and nuanced than simple abandonment. Low-level use continued in the Myola area during the Last Glacial Maximum. This suggests that a cultural landscape approach is needed to really understand the complex interactions of people and nature over time in this region.