Prehistoric artefacts found in Papua

A range of artefacts dating from the mesolithic to the bronze age have been discovered in the Indonesian province of Papua.

Prehistorical relics found in Jayapura district
Antara, 03 May 2010

Local residents of Jayapura district, Papua, have found some prehistoric relics at two different locations.

The leader of an Archeological Institute research team , Hari Suroto, said here on Monday locals who were digging in the ground at Kalkote hamlet in East Sentani district on Tuesday (April 27) came across pottery pieces now believed to date back to 1500 BC (before Christ) or the Neolithic era.

The archaelogical team had also established that the same type of pottery was found in Vanimo, Papua New Guinea, in 1996. In fact, `Lapita` pottery was previously discovered in many places in the Pacific region and the Bismark islands, he said.

At Kwadare village in Waibu district, locals had also found a bronze axe which the archeological team believed was made in 300 BC and originally came from Dong Son, North Vietnam.