The fortified settlement of Macapainara, Lautem District, Timor‑Leste

Sue O'Connor, David Bulbeck, Noel Amano, Philip J. Piper, Sally Brockwell, Andrew McWilliam, Jack N. Fenner, Jack O’Connor-Veth, Rose Whitau, Tim Maloney, Michelle C. Langley, Mirani Litster, James Lankton, Bernard Gratuze, William R. Dickinson, Anthony Barham, Richard C. Willan

Research output: Chapter in Book / Conference PaperChapter

Abstract

The hilltop location known as Macapainara is an extensive fortified settlement complex near the modern coastal village of Com (Figure 2.1). Although the settlement is no longer occupied, families living in the modern harbour village of Com identify it as their ancestral homeland and visit the ancestral graves in the settlement to perform rituals. Macapainara is 175 m above sea level and approximately 2 km in from the northern coastline of Timor-Leste (Figure 2.1). In 2008, excavations were carried out within the walls in order to assess the nature and chronology of occupation. The phenomenon of fort building and its chronology in Timor-Leste have been examined elsewhere (Fenner and Bulbeck 2013; O’Connor et al. 2012). Here we focus on describing the excavated cultural assemblage.
Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationForts and Fortification in Wallacea: Archaeological and Ethnohistoric Investigations
EditorsSue O'Connor, Andrew McWilliam, Sally Brockwell
Place of PublicationActon, A.C.T.
PublisherANU Press
Pages13-48
Number of pages36
ISBN (Electronic)9781760463892
ISBN (Print)9781760463885
Publication statusPublished - 2020

Open Access - Access Right Statement

This title is published under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0). The full licence terms are available at creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/legalcode

Keywords

  • Timor-Leste
  • antiquities
  • excavations (archaeology)
  • fortification

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