Sigatoka Sand Dunes Archaeological Site
Fiji · Viti Levu, Sigatoka
In brief
The Sigatoka sand dunes contain settlement layers and burial grounds from different periods. In addition to Lapita pottery, excavations yielded human remains that allow researchers to investigate the lives of Fijian communities in the first millennium AD.
What was found?
- 1Complete and nearly complete Lapita vessels
The dunes yielded an important collection of complete and nearly complete Lapita vessels. The vessels allow Fiji's early ceramic tradition to be studied beyond fragmentary finds.
- 2Human burials
Cemeteries dating to different periods were uncovered at the site. Analyses of bones and teeth from the first cemetery made it possible to investigate how individuals' diets changed over their lifetimes.
- 3Stone adze
A stone adze was found among the few grave goods in the first cemetery. This documents that tools also accompanied some burials.
- 4Shell artifacts
A few shell artifacts were recovered from the same cemetery. These show that the grave goods were limited but varied.
- 5Coral and basalt grave coverings
It was recorded that coral or basalt blocks had been piled over many graves in the first cemetery. These arrangements document practices associated with commemorating and burying the dead.
What does it point to?
Sigatoka's ceramics and cemeteries represent different periods; it is incorrect to attribute them all to a single Lapita community. According to researchers, isotope data from the cemetery studied suggest the importance of marine resources and food procurement activities differentiated by sex.
What did it teach us?
- Direct bone dating showed that the first cemetery and the nearby village were not entirely contemporary.
- The combined study of bones and teeth revealed dietary changes between childhood and adulthood.
- It documented that the graves were not all prepared in the same way.
Latest news / selected archive
Direct bone dating and isotope analyses published in 2024 revised the chronology of the burials in Burial Ground 1 and revealed differences in the individuals' diets.
Record
- Culture
- Lapita and subsequent Fijian communities
- Coordinates
- -18.1666°, 177.4889°
Sources
Nearby excavations
- Bourewa Lapita Settlement 22 km
- Teouma Lapita Cemetery 964 km
- Pouerua Archaeological Landscape 1,945 km
- Wairau Bar Settlement and Cemetery 2,615 km
- Leluh Archaeological Site 3,057 km
- Taputapuātea Marae Complex 3,302 km
- —
- —
- 12.000
From beneath the soil: latest discoveries
- 5th-century graves containing weapons, valuable jewelry and two horses found in France
Excavations at Horbourg-Wihr uncovered 14 graves belonging to adults and children, along with two horse burials; finds include a sword, a shield, and gold and silver jewelry. According to researchers, the cemetery expands the limited evidence about communities in Alsace between the end of Roman rule and the beginning of the Merovingian period.
HeritageDaily ↗ - Staircase and original floor of Old Dongola cathedral uncovered in Sudan
Sudanese and Polish archaeologists uncovered the monumental staircase, supporting walls and part of the original floor of the large cathedral at Old Dongola. The remains of another church found on the upper floor of an adjoining building also provide new information about the religious architecture of medieval Nubia.
HeritageDaily ↗ · Excavation notebook - Roman settlement and jewelry workshop found during excavations ahead of housing construction in Wales
Brooches, jewelry-making molds, pottery and coins were found at a settlement in Mancot dating back about 2,000 years. The lead molds used to make brooches provide evidence of Roman-period craft production in the area and possible trade links with nearby Chester.
HeritageDaily ↗ - Grave found in Greenland shows stone building remains were a church
According to researchers, a human skeleton found within the remains of a stone-enclosed structure at Qinngua confirms that the site was used as a church and cemetery. Although the building's architecture suggests a date between 1100 and 1300, analyses are needed for precise dating; the discovery provides new evidence of the religious life of Norse settlers.
HeritageDaily ↗ - 1,800-year-old belt buckle decorated with colored enamel found in Ukraine
A metal belt buckle found in Tsetsyn Forest was dated to the 2nd–3rd centuries AD based on its decoration and manufacturing features. Researchers say the find, which may have belonged to a Sarmatian mounted warrior, could help explain military and cultural relations along the Roman frontier; its owner's identity has not yet been confirmed.
Arkeofili ↗ - Chemical traces of cannabis use found in a 2,800-year-old tomb in Siberia
Cannabis seeds from the Tunnug burial mound were dated to 800–760 BC; signals matching cannabis compounds were also detected in human hair. According to the researchers, the findings suggest that cannabis may have been used in funerary rituals for its psychoactive effects.
Arkeofili ↗ - Traces of iron production during the Golden Horde period found in Kazakhstan
Investigations in the Bayanaul region uncovered iron slag containing preserved charcoal; radiocarbon analysis of the charcoal dated production to the Golden Horde period. The finds provide new evidence of how nomadic communities met their needs for tools and raw materials.
HeritageDaily ↗ - 10,500-year-old worked wood found beneath a lake in Germany
Worked wood, stone tools and animal bones were found at a depth of about 20 metres in Lake Arendsee. The rarely preserved wood directly documents Mesolithic woodworking techniques; whether the pieces belonged to a structure has yet to be established.
HeritageDaily ↗
All excavation sites (445)
Türkiye
- Acemhöyük
- Aizanoi
- Alabanda
- Alacahöyük
- Amos
- Ani
- Aphrodisias
- Arslantepe Mound
- Aspendos
- Assos
- Ayanis Fortress
- Aşıklı Höyük
- Barcın Höyük
- Blaundus
- Boncuklu Höyük
- Can Hasan I
- Carchemish
- Claros Sanctuary
- Clazomenae
- Domuztepe
- Ephesus
- Euromus
- Gordion
- Göbekli Tepe
- Hadrianopolis in Paphlagonia
- Hattusha
- Hierapolis
- Iasos
- Kaman-Kalehöyük
- Karahantepe
- Karatepe-Aslantaş
- Kaunos
- Kibyra
- Knidos
- Kültepe-Kanesh
- Laodicea on the Lycus
- Letoon Sanctuary
- Limyra
- Magnesia on the Maeander
- Medieval City of Beçin
- Metropolis in Ionia
- Miletus
- Myra
- Nemrut Dağ
- Nysa on the Maeander
- Olympus in Lycia
- Oymaağaç Höyük — Nerik
- Patara
- Pergamon
- Perge
- Phaselis
- Priene
- Sagalassos
- Sanctuary of Apollo at Didyma
- Sanctuary of Labraunda
- Sapinuwa
- Sardis
- Sayburç
- Side
- Stratonikeia
- Tell Atchana – Alalakh
- Teos
- Tripolis on the Meander
- Troy
- Uluburun Shipwreck
- Xanthos
- Yenikapı – Theodosian Harbour Excavations
- Yeşilova Höyük
- Yumuktepe
- Zerzevan Castle
- Zeugma
- Zincirli Höyük — Sam'al
- Çatalhöyük
- Çavuştepe Fortress
- Çayönü
- Çukuriçi Höyük