The Romans in Palau: how did early Mediterranean ceramics reach Micronesia?

Abstract:

The island of Palau in Micronesia had until recently suspended oil-lamps with anthropomorphic decorations which resemble those in the Eastern Mediterranean. The paper suggests that by a process of copying, they are indeed connected. Bronze lamps from the Graeco-Roman period certainly reached Thailand, presumably via the sea-route which ended in Sumatra. Ceramic copies of plain lamps are also recorded in Thailand, while bronze lamps in Việt Nam from the Dongson era have figures seated on the neck, like their Mediterranean ancestors. Suspended ceramic oil-lamps are known to have reach Bikol in the central Philippines and in turn, may have been traded onwards to Palau. The style of figurines moulded onto the reservoir of the Palau lamps suggests those made on Lanyu, among the Yami people, inking in a further line of the complex network of transmission.

Research Interests:

Archaeology, Anthropology, Southeast Asian Archaeology, Ceramics (Archaeology), Mediterranean archaeology, and Micronesia