Archaeology of the Solomon Islands By Walter, Richard and Sheppard, Peter Otago University Press, Dunedin, NZ, 2017 ISBN: 9780947522537. Pp. 200. NZD 50

Abstract

The Solomon Islands, located several hundred kilometres east of New Guinea, occupy a critical position in Oceanic cultural history. This island chain, extending 1700 km from Buka south-eastwards through to Vanuatu, lies at the junction between near and remote Oceania and is the interface between the Melanesian and Polynesian cultures. Perhaps as a consequence of these relationships, the archaeology of the region remains enigmatic and fascinating. In this volume, authors Richard Walter and Peter Sheppard – who have independently and collaboratively undertaken archaeological research in the Solomon Islands for almost 30 years – present a synthesis of what is known of the archaeology of this region and a review of the major questions that have been proposed by themselves and others.