Kuk Early Agricultural Site World Heritage Site

Official name

Kuk Early Agricultural Site | UNESCO

Country

Papua New Guinea | Map

Continent

Australia

Location

-5.7837° Lat, 144.3317° Lon | Map

Code

887

Time Zone

Pacific/Port_Moresby (+10, +1000)

Current Time

Category

Cultural

Description

Inscribed 2008. Kuk Early Agricultural Site consists of 116 ha of swamps in the western highlands of New Guinea 1,500 metres above sea-level. Archaeological excavation has revealed the landscape to be one of wetland reclamation worked almost continuously for 7,000, and possibly for 10,000 years. It contains well-preserved archaeological remains demonstrating the technological leap which transformed plant exploitation to agriculture around 6,500 years ago. It is an excellent example of transformation of agricultural practices over time, from cultivation mounds to draining the wetlands through the digging of ditches with wooden tools. Kuk is one of the few places in the world where archaeological evidence suggests independent agricultural development and changes in agricultural practice over such a long period of time.