Digital resources in the Social Sciences and Humanities OpenEdition Our platforms OpenEdition Books OpenEdition Journals Hypotheses Calenda Libraries OpenEdition Freemium Follow us

Papuan Past Project 2019 – Photos: excavation at Manim rock shelter, PNG Highlands.

Excavation at Manim

Daily life during the excavation

The surroundings of the site

Resting at the hamlet nearby

Living together during the fieldwork

Papuan Past Project 2019 – Photos: stay at Awim, East Sepik

Archaeological excavation of the Manim site (Highlands of Papua New Guinea)

Activities at Manim rock shelter (Photo: S. Plutniak).

Two years after the first 2017 survey in the Wurup valley by the Papuan Past Project, we finally started excavating an important Papua New Guinean archaeological site, the Manim rockshelter. This research in the highlands complements our investigations in the lowland region of the Sepik, on the history of settlement and interaction between these two regions.

A team composed of five researchers (Matthew Leavesley, François-Xavier Ricaut, Hubert Forestier, Sébastien Plutniak, and Jean-Pierre de Saint Aubert) and two students from the University of Papua New Guinea (Chloe Apo and Jeiven Andu) worked from the 24th of June to the 6th of July 2019. During the first week, they were accompanied by two filmmakers (Guy Beauché and Christophe Joly).

Continue reading “Archaeological excavation of the Manim site (Highlands of Papua New Guinea)”

Film-makers following the tracks of Denisova with the Papuan Past Project team

Film director Guy Beauché in front of handstencils in Kundumbu rockshelter (Photo: F.-X. Ricaut).

The research activities of the Papuan Past Project have gained interest beyond the scientific community, resulting in the project participating in a documentary film. One of the recent publications from the project, on the possible Denisova-Modern Humans admixture in New Guinea, has led the production house Galaxies/Scienti-Film to support a documentary on the exciting Denisova topic. The Papuan Past Project is the only research project to combine genetic and archaeological investigations, so an interesting project to cover in the film. A team composed of the film director Guy Beauché and sound engineer Christophe Joly joined the team from the 16th of June to the 2nd of July 2019. They filmed in the two regions that were the focus of the 2019 fieldwork: the Sepik and Highland regions. Footage from these locations will be complemented with footage from the Himalayas and Russia (Denisova cave) and research laboratories in Europe (e.g. France: University of Toulouse for the human genetic and National Museum of Natural History for the archaeological questions).

Continue reading “Film-makers following the tracks of Denisova with the Papuan Past Project team”