Balof Shelter (Horizon I)
Basic information
Sample name: Balof Shelter (Horizon I)
Reference: J. P. White, T. F. Flannery, R. O'Brien, R. V. Hancock, and L. Pavlish. 1991. The Balof shelters, New Ireland. In Report of the Lapita Homeland Project (eds. J. Allen, C. Gosden), pp. 46-58 [ER 3688]
Geography
Country: Papua New Guinea
State: New Ireland
Coordinate: 2° 54' 14" S, 151° 22' 23" E
Coordinate basis: based on nearby landmark
Time interval: Holocene
Section: 3688
Unit number: 1
Unit order: above to below
Ma: 0.00312
Age basis: radiocarbon (uncalibrated)
Geography comments: "The Balof shelters are a couple of overhangs that face each other across 20 m of collapsed doline at Madina (basis of coordinate), 90 km south of Kavieng", New Ireland, PNG.
"The sites are in secondary forest ... c. 80 m above sea level and 2.7 km south of the coast".
The material reported here is from a 1985 excavation of Balof Shelter 2.
Although there is no direct date for Horizon I, there is a date of 3120 ± 190 BP from the upper levels of Horizon II.
"The sites are in secondary forest ... c. 80 m above sea level and 2.7 km south of the coast".
The material reported here is from a 1985 excavation of Balof Shelter 2.
Although there is no direct date for Horizon I, there is a date of 3120 ± 190 BP from the upper levels of Horizon II.
Environment
Lithology: limestone
Taphonomic context: human accumulation
Archaeology: ceramics,stone tools
Habitat comments: "Horizons I-V at Balof shelter 2 encompass the upper levels (0-120 cm) of the deposit, consisting of culturally derived fine grey roof debris ... marking a relatively intensive period of human site use".
Various stone artefacts including cores, chunks, flakes, chips and cobbles are present throughout the deposit.
There are also 10 "tiny potsherds" found from Horizons I and II.
Various stone artefacts including cores, chunks, flakes, chips and cobbles are present throughout the deposit.
There are also 10 "tiny potsherds" found from Horizons I and II.
Methods
Life forms: bats,rodents,ungulates,other large mammals,other small mammals,lizards,snakes
Sampling methods: quarry,screenwash
Sample size: 187 specimens
Years: 1985
Sampling comments: "In 1985, 4 square metres were opened in Balof shelter 2, the material being excavated in 1 m2 x 10 cm units and dry sieved through 5 mm mesh".
"This excavation was extended in 1988 by a further 1.25 m2".
The material reported here pertains to 3 square metres of the 1985 excavations (Squares K2, K3, K4).
Counts are of numbers of identified specimens by mandibles, maxillae and teeth, except for Sus scrofa.
"This excavation was extended in 1988 by a further 1.25 m2".
The material reported here pertains to 3 square metres of the 1985 excavations (Squares K2, K3, K4).
Counts are of numbers of identified specimens by mandibles, maxillae and teeth, except for Sus scrofa.
Metadata
Sample number: 3859
Contributor: Benjamin Carter
Enterer: Benjamin Carter
Created: 2022-01-26 16:02:30
Modified: 2023-04-29 05:06:09
Abundance distribution
13 species
2 singletons
total count 187
geometric series index: 18.8
Fisher's α: 3.177
geometric series k: 0.7140
Hurlbert's PIE: 0.7935
Shannon's H: 1.8932
Good's u: 0.9894
Each square represents a species. Square sizes are proportional to counts.
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Register
| Dobsonia sp. | 53 | |
| D. moluccensis or D. praedatrix | ||
| Rousettus amplexicaudatus | 2 | 71.4 g frugivore |
| Hipposideros diadema | 4 | 46.1 g insectivore |
| Hipposideros cf. maggietaylorae | 2 | insectivore |
| Melomys rufescens | 8 | |
| Rattus praetor | 14 | |
| Rattus exulans | 6 | |
| also 9 Rattus sp. | ||
| Phalanger orientalis | 57 | |
| Thylogale brunii | 7 | |
| Varanus indicus | 5 | |
| Serpentes indet. | 1 | |
| Pteropus neohibernicus | 1 | |
| Sus scrofa | 27 | 54 kg herbivore |