The island is entirely made up of shells discarded by the Lapita communities, one of the oldest cultures in the South Pacific islands.
A small, inconspicuous island in the South Pacific may actually be the result of human activity more than a millennium ago, according to new research published in the journal Geoarchaeology. The suggests that the island, located near Great Placein Fiji, is composed almost entirely of discarded shellsoriginating from human consumption in ancient times.
The land mass of approximately 3000 square meters, which rises just 60 centimeters above sea level at high tide and is surrounded by mangroves, it initially appeared to be a typical formation among Fiji’s more than 300 islands. However, researchers from Fiji and Australia have determined that it is likely a “midden,” an archaeological term for a pile of accumulated shellfish remains dating back approximately 1,200 years.
Radiocarbon analysis indicates the formation of midden around 760 AD, linking it to the first inhabitants associated with the Lapita culture, widely considered ancestral to modern Pacific Island populations. The researchers also found undecorated pottery fragmentsreinforcing evidence of ancient human presence, although, notably, no fish bones or stone tools were discovered at the site.
The team first identified the island during field surveys in 2017, near the coastal area of Culasawani. Although one hypothesis suggested that the island could have formed naturally due to the action of waves or tsunamis, later analyzes of the sediments did not corroborate this theory. In particular, scientists did not find a gradual thinning of shell deposits beyond the island, which would normally indicate wave deposition.
Instead, the evidence points to a long-term human accumulation of shellfish remains, probably from a nearby settlement that processed large quantities of marine foods over several centuries. The researchers propose that this settlement may have consisted of dwellings on stilts, a common feature in coastal communities at that time.
Over time, environmental changes may have further shaped the island. The study suggests that the mangroves around the site probably developed after the abandonment of the settlement, possibly due to influence of sediments from deforestation caused by human action inside, says .
Investigators note that Vanua Levu continues to be little studied compared to other parts of Fiji, suggesting that further archaeological work in the region could reveal additional information about how ancient communities transformed the landscape.
If confirmed, the discovery will mark the first known shell midden island in the South Pacific, east of Papua New Guinea.
