ABSTRACT
Galis 1953: 16 This thesis presents an analysis of two prehistoric sites excavated in the Bird’s Head of Papua and provides the first systematically gathered archaeological information for the entire western half of the island of New Guinea. The results have important bearing on a number of issues, including the early settlement and exploitation of tropical rainforest, independent of agriculture; human impacts on the natural environment and fauna including the prolonged hunting of one major prey animal; and the influence of glacial conditions on tropical lowland environments. Each of these issues will be discussed below in relation to the changing intensity and nature of the occupation of the two sites.
Did humans in the Bird’s Head ever live in rainforest without access to cultivated plants or domesticated animals?
