ABSTRACT
In this paper the authors present evidence for the terminal Pleistocene occupation of Pia Hudale rockshelter on Roti Island, a medium-sized landmass of c. However, from historical records and results of recent survey work by the Western Australian Museum, it is clear that the present day vertebrate fauna of Roti Island is relatively impoverished, even by Nusa Tenggaran standards. The very small number of pottery fragments found on the surface and in the excavation at Pia Hudale suggests that the shelter was not used intensively at any time after pottery was introduced to Roti Island. The archaeological record from Pia Hudale and the other excavated sites on Roti Island provides important insights into terminal Pleistocene to Holocene human culture and ecology on a small, resource-poor Nusa Tenggaran island. No evidence was found in Pia Hudale for any of the medium- to large mammals (i.e. cuscus, macaque and civet) that evidently spread through the region during the mid-Holocene.
