HEADLINE: The Two Stages of Pacific Settlement: Early Migrations and the Lapita Culture AUTHOR NAME: Nicholas Thomas SUMMARY: Human settlement of the Pacific occurred in two stages. Early migrations crossed Wallacea 50,000-60,000 years ago, settling New G

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HEADLINE: The Two Stages of Pacific Settlement: Early Migrations and the Lapita Culture
AUTHOR NAME: Nicholas Thomas
SUMMARY: Human settlement of the Pacific occurred in two stages. Early migrations crossed Wallacea 50,000-60,000 years ago, settling New Guinea and Australia. Much later, around 5,000-6,000 years ago, agriculturalists speaking Austronesian languages left Taiwan. This culture, known for distinctive Lapita pottery, migrated swiftly, establishing complex societies and settling western Polynesia (Fiji, Tonga, Samoa).
1899 SAMOA