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BLOG:
Monday, 30 June 2008
NEW publication: Archaeology of the Bay of Plenty
By Garry Law. 149 p.
What's it about?
This report summarises the state of knowledge of the archaeology of the Bay of Plenty, New Zealand, and reviews research themes and priorities of the past and for the future. The Bay of Plenty is favoured as a place to live today, but this has not always been the case. Its first settlement by Maori seems to have been sparse, whereas there are numerous sites from the later pre-European occupation period. The early economy was based around the marine resources and soils, which were well suited to cultivation of kumara.
The first European visitors took relatively little interest in the region as it generally lacked the gold and accessible timber resources that drove early growth elsewhere, and cobalt-deficient soils made pastoral farming unattractive in much of the area. The development of improved transport resulted in greater growth, and pastoral farming increased as the lowlands and swamps were drained. In the second half of the 20th century, exotic forestry, energy and horticulture were the main drivers of growth in the region, which now has a rapidly increasing population. All of these stories are illuminated by the archaeology of the region, and there is great potential to tell more. To do this, research strategies and plans need to focus on gaining a better understanding of Maori settlement and resource use away from the coast, examining the factors leading to the widespread adoption of pa from about AD 1500, and making better use of the archaeological material arising from mitigation excavations of Maori sites.
Comprehensive recording of historic archaeological sites is also needed.
The above new publication is now in press and can be downloaded from:
Here
My interests include:
C14 dating, numerical taxonomy, site protection in development projects, web
communication and museums.
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Garry Law
About me
This page is mainly
about New Zealand archaeology. The Blog here is some personal observations which I might make
from time to time.
Archaeology in New
Zealand is practiced in respect of the Maori (Polynesian) occupation of New Zealand
(including the Kermadec Islands to the north and Chatham Islands in the east), starting
perhaps 800 years ago, but also in respect of historic sites left by more recent
visitors and immigrants, European and Chinese, since 1800 AD, looking at settlements and
sealing, whaling and mining industries.
New Zealand archaeology
relates particularly to New Zealand of course, but archaeologists based here also work in
Polynesia, the rest of Oceania, particularly on Polynesian origins and also in South East
Asia - particularly Thailand.
There is also some research on historic sites in Antarctica. There are close professional
relationships with Australian archaeologists and a quite a few there have come from here,
but little research is conducted across the Tasman Sea in either direction.
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Auckland, August 1908: A Stop on the Great White
Fleet World Cruise
By: Garry
Law
Get it Here
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Welcome to
Garry Law's: