ABSTRACT
The first successful settlement of the Remote Oceanic world has been recorded in deeply buried archaeological layers in the Mariana Islands, dated about 1500 B.C. The distinctive forms and styles of pottery, shell ornaments, and other material signatures point to a homeland source in Island Southeast Asia, such that the first Marianas settlement had been possible by the world’s longest ocean-crossing migration of its time in excess of 2000 km. The settlers evidently targeted a narrow range of seashore habitat niches as their preferred homes. The discoveries here have revealed invaluable information about the first encounters between people and the Remote Oceanic environment, which is fundamental for any study of Pacific Oceanic archaeology and arguably crucial for a full sense of world archaeology as well.
