Archaeologists working in the Bismarck Archipelago have uncovered a major maritime settlement dating to 1000 BCE that served as a strategic hub for Proto-Polynesian voyagers. The site contains the first known waterlogged outrigger canoe components to survive from this period, preserved in anaerobic mud near a coastal lagoon.
The excavation also yielded a vast collection of volcanic glass tools sourced from hundreds of miles away, indicating a highly organized long-distance trade network. This discovery provides a missing link in the technological evolution of the vessels that eventually allowed for the settlement of the remote Pacific islands.