Vanuatu in the vanguard: new frontiers in Lapita zooarchaeology

This review synthesizes zooarchaeological evidence for Lapita subsistence strategies (c. 3200–2700 BP) across the Southwest Pacific, with particular focus on Vanuatu and the transformative contributions of the Teouma site. It examines how Lapita colonists adapted to diverse island ecologies, the impact of human arrival on native faunal diversity, and the methodological and theoretical challenges that have shaped our understanding. This paper highlights the dynamic, regionally variable nature of Lapita subsistence evidence and identifies priorities for future research. The Teouma assemblage demonstrates that when well-preserved sites are located and excavated with fine-grained recovery methods and analysed using sophisticated zooarchaeological methods within robust human behavioural ecology theoretical frameworks, Lapita zooarchaeology can move beyond basic taxonomic lists to address questions of resource depression, foraging efficiency, animal management, and sociopolitical complexity. Archaeological science techniques could in future provide additional advances in Lapita zooarchaeology.