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Mathieu Leclerc

Mathieu Leclerc is a lecturer in Pacific archaeology in the School of Archaeology & Anthropology and an honorary lecturer in the Department of Archaeology & Natural History at The Australian National University. His interests centre on the development and application of innovative analytical techniques to archaeological problems. His current research includes chemical and mineralogical analysis of pottery assemblages from Vanuatu, Papua New Guinea and Indonesia, as well as a project on organic residue analysis of Lapita pottery.

Archaeologies of Island Melanesia »

Current approaches to landscapes, exchange and practice

Edited by: Mathieu Leclerc, James Flexner

Publication date: August 2019

‘The island world of Melanesia—ranging from New Guinea and the Bismarcks through the Solomons, Vanuatu, and New Caledonia—is characterised more than anything by its boundless diversity in geography, language and culture. The deep historical roots of this diversity are only beginning to be uncovered by archaeological investigations, but as the contributions to this volume demonstrate, the exciting discoveries being made across this region are opening windows to our understanding of the historical processes that contributed to such remarkably varied cultures. Archaeologies of Island Melanesia offers a sampling of some of the recent and ongoing research that spans such topics as landscape, exchange systems, culture contact and archaeological practice, authored by some of the leading scholars in Oceanic archaeology.’ — Professor Patrick Vinton Kirch Professor of Anthropology, University of Hawai‘i Island Melanesia is a remarkable region in many respects, from its great ecological and linguistic diversity, to the complex histories of settlement and interaction spanning from the Pleistocene to the present. Archaeological research in Island Melanesia is currently going through a vibrant phase of exciting new discoveries and challenging debates about questions that apply far beyond the region. This volume draws together a variety of current perspectives in regional archaeology for Island Melanesia, focusing on Vanuatu, the Solomon Islands, New Caledonia and Papua New Guinea. It features both high-level theoretical approaches and rigorous data-driven case studies covering recent research in landscape archaeology, exchange and material culture, and cultural practices.

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