The specificities of the ‘Southern Lapita Province’: the New Caledonian case

New studies on the Lapita phenomenon in New Caledonia have led to the identification of local patterns that allow the outlining of the concept of a ‘Southern Lapita Province‘, recently proposed by Kirch (1997). By defining the chronological limits and the typological characteristics of the dentate, non‐dentate and undecorated Lapita ware, and the forms of the non‐ceramic material, this paper makes a preliminary study of the local differences of the Lapita cultural complex in Southern Melanesia.