[Graymatter]

Mostly entertaining speculation, but some good pics here and discussion of Lapita pottery and the Melanesians and Polynesians.

http://users.on.net/~mkfenn/page6.htm

(There is also a page1, etc., on the topic; page6 has the pic of bearded man on Lapita pottery.)

[Pharmboy]

Thanks...nice site.

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks Graymatter! Hey Blam, here's a snip from GM's link:

"Mr Tim Denham of adelaide University, excavated the Kuk Swamp, in the Upper Wahgi Valley in the highlands of Papua New Guinea, during 1998 and 1999 and uncovered circular mounds of earth, dated to 7,000 years ago. They were designed to aerate soggy soil so that it could be used for planting in areas that were poorly drained. At a locality nearby there are more advanced and highly planned drainage canals, covering an extensive area as seen in the aerial photo below that are even older. Carbon dating of sediments put the channels at over 9,000 years old."