| Abstract: |
Current archaeological research in the Karama Valley, West Sulawesi, Indonesia, allow us to provide better knowledge about the development of prehistoric settlements in this valley and the lifestyle of the inhabitants since the coming of Austronesian speaking people c. 1500 BCE onwards. Pottery production occurred along the habitation periods, with the domination of red-slipped pottery during the initial establishment phase (Early Neolithic). The number and types of artefacts, including decorated pottery, rectangular stone adzes and body adornments increased when the settlements developed and extended in the middle phase of the Neolithic period. Suids, especially the native wild pic <i>Sus celebensis</i> were hunted for the main protein sources. The domesticated introduced <i>Sus scrofa</i> might have been managed in this phase along with a small scale of rice cultivation. Artefacts manufacture and other activities reduced markedly before the abandonment of the Neolithic settlements, followed by the establishment of a number of Paleometallic settlements along the valley which characterized with new introduced materials including glass and metal artefacts and paddle-impressed pottery unknown before.
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