Lapita on the south coast of Papua New Guinea: challenging new horizons in Pacific archaeology

We thank all the commentators for their thoughtful comments, and especially Jim Specht for initiating this stimulating Forum on the discovery of Lapita ceramics at Caution Bay on the south coast of mainland Papua New Guinea. All flag numerous important implications of these discoveries for Pacific archaeology. To make the most economical use of our limited space to respond, we address key Lapita-related criticisms and queries raised by the five commentators. We conclude by noting that, while our ultimate aim is to model the implications of the Caution Bay finds for broader-scaled occupation and interaction, we refrain from doing so until the site-specific and regional data are more fully analysed and presented