Professor Atholl Anderson

Emeritus Professor
School of Culture, History and Language

Atholl Anderson is a pre-historian in the Department of Archaeology and Natural History at ANU, who has undertaken extensive projects extending across the Pacific Ocean from Southeast Asia to South America and from equatorial to sub-polar regions, in addition to a current project on the human settlement of islands in the Indian Ocean. He has excavated numerous sites of early human colonisation and undertaken analyses, especially of radiocarbon chronologies, which demonstrate that patterns of migration and settlement were more episodic, less directed and generally younger than previously thought. This conclusion has led him to propose radically different explanations of Polynesian and other Indo-Pacific voyaging.

Research interests

Oceanic (Pacific) prehistory, Indian Ocean prehistory, island colonisation, palaeoenvironments, zooarchaeology, chronometry, maritime adaptations, evolution of seafaring, traditional history and ethnohistory.

  • Anderson, A 2017, 'Giant tortoises spread to western Indian Ocean islands by sea drift in pre-Holocene times, not by later human agency - response to Wilm? et al. (2016a)', Journal of Biogeography, vol. 44, no. 6, pp. 1426-1429.
  • Virah-Sawmy, M, Gillson, L, Gardner, C et al 2016, 'A landscape vulnerability framework for identifying integrated conservation and adaptation pathways to climate change: the case of Madagascar's spiny forest', Landscape Ecology, vol. 31, no. 3, pp. 637-654.
  • Anderson, A, Stothert, K, Martinsson-Wallin, H et al. 2016, 'Reconsidering precolumbian human colonization in the Gal�pagos Islands, Republic of Ecuador', Latin American Antiquity, vol. 27, no. 2, pp. 169-183.
  • Worthy, T, Mitri, M, Handley, W et al 2016, 'Osteology supports a stem-galliform affinity for the giant extinct flightless bird Sylviornis neocaledoniae (Sylviornithidae, Galloanseres)', PLOS ONE (Public Library of Science), vol. 11, no. 3, pp. -.
  • Goodwin, I, Browning, S & Anderson, A 2014, 'Climate windows for polynesian voyaging to New Zealand and easter Island', PNAS - Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, vol. 111, no. 41, pp. 14716-14721.
  • Anderson, A 2014, 'Monumentality and ritual behaviour in South Polynesia', in Helene Martinsson-Wallin and Timothy Thomas (ed.), Studies in Global Archaeology no. 20, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden, pp. 273-296.
  • Anderson, A 2013, 'Inshore or offshore? Boating and fishing in the Pleistocene', Antiquity, vol. 87, no. 337, pp. 879-895.
  • Worthy, T, Anderson, A & Sand, C 2013, 'An extinct Austral snipe (Aves : Coenocorypha) from New Caledonia', Emu - Austral Ornithology, vol. 113, no. 4, pp. 383-393.
  • Anderson, A 2013, 'Response to O'Connor and Ono, Bailey and Erlandson', Antiquity, vol. 87, pp. 892-895.
  • Martinsson-Wallin, H, Wallin, P, Anderson, A et al 2013, 'Chronogeographic variation in initial east polynesian construction of monumental ceremonial sites', Journal of Island & Coastal Archaeology, vol. 8, no. 3, pp. 405-421.
  • Bellwood, P, Anderson, A & Dizon, E 2013, 'Archaeological Excavations on Batan Island', in Peter Bellwood & Eusebio Dizon (ed.), 4000 Years of Migration and Cultural Exchange: The Archaeology of the Batanes Islands, Northern Philippines (Terra Australis 40), ANU ePress, Canberra, pp. 31-45.
  • Prebble, M, Anderson, A & Kennett, D 2013, 'Forest clearance and agricultural expansion on Rapa, Austral Archipelago, French Polynesia', Holocene, vol. 23, no. 2, pp. 179-196.
  • Vogel, Y & Anderson, A 2012, 'Prehistoric fishing on Rapa Island', in Atholl Anderson and Douglas J. Kennett (ed.), Taking the High Ground (Terra Australis 37): The archaeology of Rapa, a fortified island in remote East Polynesia, ANU ePress, Canberra Australia, pp. 115-133.
  • Anderson, A & Tennyson, A 2012, 'Bird, reptile and mammal remains from archaeological sites on Rapa Island', in Atholl Anderson and Douglas J. Kennett (ed.), Taking the High Ground (Terra Australis 37): The archaeology of Rapa, a fortified island in remote East Polynesia, ANU ePress, Canberra Australia, pp. 105-114.
  • Szabo, K & Anderson, A 2012, 'The Tangarutu invertebrate fauna', in Atholl Anderson and Douglas J. Kennett (ed.), Taking the High Ground (Terra Australis 37): The archaeology of Rapa, a fortified island in remote East Polynesia, ANU ePress, Canberra Australia, pp. 135-144.
  • Szabo, K, Vogel, Y & Anderson, A 2012, 'Marine resource exploitation on Rapa Island Archaeology, material culture and ethnography', in Atholl Anderson and Douglas J. Kennett (ed.), Taking the High Ground (Terra Australis 37): The archaeology of Rapa, a fortified island in remote East Polynesia, ANU ePress, Canberra Australia, pp. 145-166.
  • Anderson, A, Kennett, D & Conte, E 2012, 'The prehistory of Rapa Island', in Atholl Anderson and Douglas J. Kennett (ed.), Taking the High Ground (Terra Australis 37): The archaeology of Rapa, a fortified island in remote East Polynesia, ANU ePress, Canberra Australia, pp. 147-256.
  • Anderson, A & Kennett, D, eds, 2012, Taking the High Ground (Terra Australis 37) The archaeology of Rapa, a fortified island in remote East Polynesia, ANU ePress, Canberra Australia.
  • Prebble, M & Anderson, A 2012, 'The archaeobotany of Rapan rockshelter deposits', in Atholl Anderson and Douglas J. Kennett (ed.), Taking the High Ground (Terra Australis 37): The archaeology of Rapa, a fortified island in remote East Polynesia, ANU ePress, Canberra Australia, pp. 77-95.
  • Anderson, A 2012, 'Archaeology of the coastal sites on Rapa Island', in Atholl Anderson and Douglas J. Kennett (ed.), Taking the High Ground (Terra Australis 37): The archaeology of Rapa, a fortified island in remote East Polynesia, ANU ePress, Canberra Australia, pp. 47-76.
  • Anderson, A, Kennett, D & Conte, E 2012, 'Archaeological research on Rapa Island, French Polynesia', in Atholl Anderson and Douglas J. Kennett (ed.), Taking the High Ground (Terra Australis 37): The archaeology of Rapa, a fortified island in remote East Polynesia, ANU ePress, Canberra Australia, pp. 7-23.
  • Anderson, A 2012, 'Dwelling carelessly, quiet and secure: 'A brief ethnohistory of Rapa Island, French Polynesia, AD 1791-1840', in Atholl Anderson and Douglas J. Kennett (ed.), Taking the High Ground (Terra Australis 37): The archaeology of Rapa, a fortified island in remote East Polynesia, ANU ePress, Canberra Australia, pp. 25-45.
  • Kennett, D, Culleton, B, Anderson, A et al 2012, 'A Bayesian AMS 14C chronology for the colonisation and fortification of Rapa Island', in Atholl Anderson and Douglas J. Kennett (ed.), Taking the High Ground (Terra Australis 37): The archaeology of Rapa, a fortified island in remote East Polynesia, ANU ePress, Canberra Australia, pp. 189-202.
  • Prebble, M & Anderson, A 2012, 'Palaeobotany and the early development of agriculture on Rapa Island', in Atholl Anderson and Douglas J. Kennett (ed.), Taking the High Ground (Terra Australis 37): The archaeology of Rapa, a fortified island in remote East Polynesia, ANU ePress, Canberra Australia, pp. 167-187.
  • Winter, O, Winter, O, Clark, G et al 2012, 'Austronesian sailing to the northern marianas, a comment on Hung et al. (2011)', Antiquity, vol. 86, no. 333, pp. 898-910.
  • Anderson, A 2012, 'Responses', Archaeology in Oceania, vol. 47, no. 1, pp. 9-10.
  • Anderson, A & Boon, H 2011, 'East Polynesian Sailing Rigs: The Anuta Iti Experiment', Journal of Pacific Archaeology, vol. 2, no. 2, pp. 109-113.
  • Wilmshurst, J, Hunt, T, Lipo, C et al 2011, 'Reply to Mulrooney et al.: Accepting lower precision radiocarbon dates results in longer colonization chronologies for East Polynesia', PNAS - Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, vol. 108, no. 23, pp. E195-E195.
  • Wilmshurst, J, Hunt, T, Lipo, C et al 2011, 'High-precision radiocarbon dating shows recent and rapid initial human colonization of East Polynesia', PNAS - Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, vol. 108, no. 5, pp. 1815-1820.
  • Anderson, A 2010, 'The impact of Lapita Colonisation on Native Fauna', in Christophe Sand and Stuart Bedford (ed.), Lapita: Oceanic Ancestors, Somogy Editions d'Art, Paris, pp. 268-269.
  • Anderson, A, Haberle, S, Froyd, C et al 2010, 'Historic fuel wood use in the Galapagos Islands: identification of charred remains', Vegetation History and Archaeobotany, vol. 19, no. 3, pp. 207-217.
  • Barrett, J & Anderson, A 2010, 'Histories of Global Seafaring: a Discussion', in Atholl Anderson, James H Barrett & Katherine V Boyle (ed.), The Global Origins and Development of Seafaring, McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research, Cambridge, pp. 305-314.
  • Anderson, A, Rowe, L, Petchey, F et al 2010, 'Radiocarbon dates on desiccated Moa flesh from inland Otago, New Zealand', Journal of Pacific Archaeology, vol. 1, no. 2 2010, pp. 192-194.
  • Anderson, A 2010, 'The Origins and Development of Seafaring: Towards a Global Approach', in Atholl Anderson, James H Barrett & Katherine V Boyle (ed.), The Global Origins and Development of Seafaring, McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research, Cambridge, pp. 3-16.
  • Clark, G, Anderson, A & Wright, D 2006, 'Human Colonization of the Palau Islands, Western Micronesia', Journal of Island and Coastal Archaeology, vol. 01, pp. 215-232.
  • Anderson, A, Sand, C, Petchey, F et al. 2010, 'Faunal Extinction and Human Habitation in New Caledonia: Initial Results and Implications of New Research at the Pindai Caves', Journal of Pacific Archaeology, vol. 1, no. 1, pp. 89-109.
  • Clark, G & Anderson, A 2009, 'Colonisation and culture change in the early prehistory of Fiji', in Geoffrey Clark and Atholl Anderson (ed.), The Early Prehistory of Fiji (Terra Australis 31), ANU ePress, Canberra, Australia, pp. 407-437.
  • Summerhayes, G & Anderson, A 2009, 'An Austronesian Presence in Southern Japan: Early Occupation in the Yaeyama Islands', Bulletin of the Indo-Pacific Prehistory Association, vol. 29, pp. 76-91.
  • Anderson, A 2009, 'Origins, Settlement and Society of Pre-European South Polynesia', in Giselle Byrnes (ed.), The New Oxford History of New Zealand, Oxford University Press, Melbourne, pp. 21-46.
  • Anderson, A & Clark, G 2009, 'Fieldwork in southern Viti Levu and Beqa Island', in Geoffrey Clark and Atholl Anderson (ed.), The Early Prehistory of Fiji (Terra Australis 31), ANU ePress, Canberra, Australia, pp. 87-120.
  • Clark, G & Anderson, A 2009, 'Fieldwork in northern Viti Levu and Mago Island', in Geoffrey Clark and Atholl Anderson (ed.), The Early Prehistory of Fiji (Terra Australis 31), ANU ePress, Canberra, Australia, pp. 121-152.
  • Clark, G & Anderson, A 2009, 'Site chronology and a review of radiocarbon dates from Fiji', in Geoffrey Clark and Atholl Anderson (ed.), The Early Prehistory of Fiji (Terra Australis 31), ANU ePress, Canberra, Australia, pp. 153-182.
  • Fankhauser, B, Clark, G & Anderson, A 2009, 'Characterisation and sourcing of archaeological adzes and flakes from Fiji', in Geoffrey Clark and Atholl Anderson (ed.), The Early Prehistory of Fiji (Terra Australis 31), ANU ePress, Canberra, Australia, pp. 373-395.
  • Anderson, A 2009, 'The rat and the octopus: initial human colonization and the prehistoric introduction of domestic animals to Remote Oceania', Biological Invasions, vol. Online First, p. 17.
  • Worthy, T & Anderson, A 2009, 'Palaeofaunal sites and excavations', in Geoffrey Clark and Atholl Anderson (ed.), The Early Prehistory of Fiji (Terra Australis 31), ANU ePress, Canberra, Australia, pp. 19-40.
  • Worthy, T & Anderson, A 2009, 'Results of palaeofaunal research', in Geoffrey Clark and Atholl Anderson (ed.), The Early Prehistory of Fiji (Terra Australis 31), ANU ePress, Canberra, Australia, pp. 41-62.
  • Anderson, A 2009, 'Prehistoric Archaeology in the Auckland Islands, New Zealand Subantarctic Region', in Paul R. Dingwall, Kevin L. Jones and Rachael Egerton (ed.), In Care of the Southern Ocean; An archaeological and historical survey of the Auckland Islands, New Zealand Archaeological Association, New Zealand, pp. 9-37.
  • Anderson, A 2009, 'Maui Nation to Maori Asian', in Ren Kempthorne (ed.), The Maui Dynasty, Bishop Suter Trust, Nelson, New Zealand, p. 7.
  • Smith, I & Anderson, A 2009, 'An Archaeological Sequence for Codfish Island (Whenua Hou), Southland, New Zealand', New Zealand Journal of Archaeology, vol. 30, pp. 5-21.
  • Clark, G & Anderson, A, eds, 2009, The Early Prehistory of Fiji - Terra Australis 31, ANU ePress, Canberra, Australia.
  • Anderson, A & Clark, G 2009, 'Research on the early prehistory of Fiji', in Geoffrey Clark and Atholl Anderson (ed.), The Early Prehistory of Fiji (Terra Australis 31), ANU ePress, Canberra, Australia, pp. 1-18.
  • Anderson, A 2009, 'Epilogue: Changing Archaeological Perspectives upon Historical Ecology in the Pacific Islands', Pacific Science: a quarterly devoted to the biological and physical sciences of the Pacific Region, vol. 63, no. 4, pp. 747-757.
  • Petchey, F, Allen, M, Addison, D et al 2009, 'Stability in the South Pacific surface marine 14C reservoir over the last 750 years. Evidence from American Samoa, the southern Cook Islands and the Marquesas', Journal of Archaeological Science, vol. 36, no. 10, pp. 2234-2243.
  • Anderson, A 2009, 'Polynesian Voyaging', in Rosemary G. Gillespie and David A. Clague (ed.), Encyclopedia of Islands, University of California Press, Berkeley, United States of America, pp. 758-761.
  • Gongora, J, Rawlence, N, Mobegi, V et al 2008, 'Indo-European and Asian origins for Chilean and Pacific chickens revealed by mtDNA', PNAS - Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, vol. 105, no. 30, pp. 10308-10313.
  • Gongora, J, Rawlence, N, Mobegi, V et al 2008, 'Reply to Storey et al.: More DNA and dating studies needed for ancient El Arenal-1 chickens', PNAS - Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, vol. 105, no. 48, pp. E100.
  • Anderson, A & Summerhayes, G 2008, 'Edge-Ground and Waisted Axes in the Western Pacific Islands: Implications for an Example from the Yaeyama Islands, Southernmost Japan', Asian Perspectives, vol. 47, no. 1, pp. 45-58.
  • Petchey, F, Anderson, A, Zondervan, A et al. 2008, 'New marine dR values for the south pacific subtropical gyre region', Radiocarbon, vol. 50, no. 3, pp. 373-397.
  • Petchey, F, Anderson, A, Hogg, A et al. 2008, 'The marine reservoir effect in the Southern Ocean: An evaluation of extant and new ?R values and their application to archaeological chronologies', Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand, vol. 38, no. 4, pp. 243-262.
  • Anderson, A 2008, 'Problems of the 'Traditionalist' Model of Long-Distance Polynesian Voyaging', Insights, vol. 1, no. 12, pp. 1-12.
  • Fitzpatrick, S & Anderson, A 2008, 'Island Worlds Apart: Interaction and Remoteness on Seas and Oceans', Journal of Island & Coastal Archaeology, vol. 3, no. 1, pp. 1-3.
  • Anderson, A 2008, 'Response to Comments on 'Traditionalism, Interaction and Long-Distance Seafaring in Polynesia'', Journal of Island & Coastal Archaeology, vol. 3, no. 2, pp. 268 - 270.
  • Anderson, A 2008, 'Introduction 2: A Migration History', in Tau, Te M. and Anderson A.J. (ed.), NgÄ?i Tahu. A Migration History: The Carrington Text, Bridget Williams Books, Wellington, New Zealand, pp. 20-37.
  • Anderson, A & O'Connor, S 2008, 'Indo-Pacific Migration and Colonization - Introduction', Asian Perspectives, vol. 47, no. 1, pp. 2-11.
  • Fitzpatrick, S & Anderson, A 2008, 'Islands of Isolation: Archaeology and the Power of Aquatic Perimeters', Journal of Island & Coastal Archaeology, vol. 3, no. 1, pp. 4-16.
  • Anderson, A 2008, 'Traditionalism, Interaction, and Long-Distance Seafaring in Polynesia', Journal of Island & Coastal Archaeology, vol. 3, no. 2, pp. 240-250.
  • Tau, T & Anderson, A, eds, 2008, Ng��i Tahu. A Migration History: The Carrington Text, Bridget Williams Books, Wellington, New Zealand.
  • Wilmshurst, J, Anderson, A, Higham, T et al 2008, 'Dating the late prehistoric dispersal of Polynesians to New Zealand using the commensal Pacific rat', PNAS - Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, vol. 105, no. 22, pp. 7676-7680.
  • Anderson, A 2008, 'Maori land and livelihood AD 1250-1850', in M. Winterbourn, G. Know, C. Burrows & I. Marsden (ed.), The Natural History of Canterbury (3rd ed), Canterbury University Press, Canterbury, New Zealand, pp. 65-88.
  • Anderson, A 2008, 'Short and Sometimes Sharp: Human Impacts on Marine Resources in the Archaeology and History of South Polynesia', in Torben C. Rick & Jon M. Erlandson (ed.), Human impacts on ancient marine ecosystems : a global perspective, University of California Press, Berkeley, United States of America, pp. 21-42.
  • Fitzpatrick, S & Anderson, A, eds, 2008, Special Thematic Section: Island Worlds Apart: Interaction and Remoteness on Seas and Oceans, 1.
  • O'Connor, S & Anderson, A, eds, 2008, Maritime Migration and Colonization in Indo-Pacific Prehistory: Special Issue, 1.
  • Anderson, A, Gagan, M & Shulmeister, J 2007, 'Mid-Holocene cultural dynamics and climatic change in the Western Pacific', in David G. Anderson, Kirk A. Maasch, Daniel H. Sandweiss (ed.), Climate Change and Cultural Dynamics: A Global Perspective on Mid-Holocene Transitions, Academic Press, London, UK, pp. 265-296.
  • Storey, A, Ramirez, J, Quiroz, D et al 2007, 'Radiocarbon and DNA evidence for a pre-Columbian introduction of Polynesian chickens to Chile', PNAS - Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, vol. 104, no. 25, pp. 10335-10339.
  • Anderson, A, Martinsson-Wallin, H & Stothert, K 2007, 'Ecuadorian sailing rafts and Oceanic landfalls', in Atholl Anderson, Kaye Green & Foss Leach (ed.), Vastly Ingenious: The Archaeology of Pacific Material Culture in honour of Janet M. Davidson, University of Otago Press, Dunedin, New Zealand, pp. 117-133.
  • Fitzpatrick, S, Erlandson, J, Anderson, A et al 2007, 'Straw Boats and the Proverbial Sea: A Response to 'Island Archaeology: In Search of a New Horizon'', Island Studies Journal, vol. 2, no. 2, pp. 229-238.
  • Anderson, A 2007, 'Colonial illusion and reality at the end of the Old World's road', in Birgitta Hardh, Kristina Jennbert & Deborah Olausson (ed.), On the Road; Studies in Honour of Lars Larsson, Almqvist & Wiksell International, Sweden, pp. 77-81.
  • Larson, G, Matisoo-Smith, E, Anderson, A et al 2007, 'Phylogeny and ancient DNA of SUS provides insights into neolithic expansion in Island Southeast Asia and Oceania', PNAS - Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, vol. 104, no. 12, pp. 4834-4839.
  • Anderson, A 2007, 'Discussion: middens of the sea peoples', in N Milner, O Craig & G Bailey (ed.), Shell Middens in Atlantic Europe, Oxbow Books, United Kingdom, pp. 196-202.
  • Anderson, A, Green, K & Leach, F, eds, 2007, Vastly Ingenious: The Archaeology of Pacific Material Culture in honour of Janet M. Davidson, University of Otago Press, Dunedin, New Zealand.
  • Clark, G, Anderson, A & Wright, D 2006, 'Human Colonization of the Palau Islands, Western Micronesia', Journal of Island & Coastal Archaeology, vol. 1, no. 2, pp. 215-232.
  • Anderson, A 2006, 'Retrievable Time: prehistoric colonisation of South Polynesia from the outside in and the inside out', in Tony Ballantyne and Brian Moloughney (ed.), Disputed Histories Imagining New Zealand's Pasts, University of Otago Press, Dunedin, New Zealand, pp. 25-41.
  • Anderson, A 2006, 'Polynesian Seafaring and American Horizons: A Response To Jones and Klar', American Antiquity, vol. 71, no. 4, pp. 759-763.
  • Kennett, D, Anderson, A, Prebble, M et al 2006, 'Prehistoric human impacts on Rapa, French Polynesia', Antiquity, vol. 80, no. 308, pp. 340-354.
  • Anderson, A 2006, 'Alternative interpretations of structural evidence at Takaia River Mouth, New Zealand', Archaeology in Oceania, vol. 41, no. 3, pp. 123-126.
  • Anderson, A 2006, 'Islands of Exile: ideological motivation in maritime migration', Journal of Island & Coastal Archaeology, vol. 1, pp. 33-48.
  • Anderson, A, Chappell, J, Gagan, M et al 2006, 'Prehistoric maritime migration in the Pacific islands: an hypothesis of ENSO forcing', Holocene, vol. 16, no. 1, pp. 1-6.
  • Anderson, A, Roberts, R, Dickinson, W et al 2006, 'Times of Sand: Sedimentary History and Archaeology at the Sigatoka Dunes, Fiji', Geoarchaeology: an international journal, vol. 21, no. 2, pp. 131-154.
  • Kennett, D, Anderson, A & Winterhalder, B 2006, 'The Ideal Free Distribution, Food Production, and the Colonization of Oceania', in Douglas J. Kennett and Bruce Winterhalder (ed.), Behavioral Ecology and the Transition to Agriculture, University of California Press, Canada, pp. 265-288.
  • Anderson, A, Chappell, J, Clark, G et al 2005, 'Comparative Radiocarbon dating of Lignite, Pottery and Charcoal samples from Babeldaob Island, Republic of Palau', Radiocarbon, vol. 47, no. 1, pp. 1-9.
  • Higham, T, Anderson, A, Ramsey, C et al 2005, 'Diet-derived variations in radiocarbon and stable isotopes: a case study from Shag River Mouth, New Zealand', Radiocarbon, vol. 47, no. 3, pp. 367-375.
  • Anderson, A, Higham, T & Ritchie, N 2005, 'The chronology and interpretation of Italian Creek rockshelter, Central Otago', Archaeology in New Zealand, vol. 48, pp. 242-247.
  • Anderson, A 2005, 'Crossing the Luzon Strait: archaeological chronology in the Batanes Islands, Philippines and the regional sequence of Neolithic dispersal', Journal of Austronesian Studies, vol. 1, no. 2, pp. 27-48.
  • Anderson, A 2005, 'Subpolar settlement in South Polynesia', Antiquity, vol. 79, no. 306, pp. 791-800.
  • Burley, D, Steadman, D & Anderson, A 2004, 'Ata: a quarry island and adze workshop in the Kingdom of Tonga', New Zealand Journal of Archaeology, vol. 2004, pp. tba.
  • Anderson, A 2004, 'Fear and loathing on desert islands', Archaeology in New Zealand, vol. 47, no. 4, pp. 55-57.
  • Anderson, A 2004, 'The Age Disconformity in AMS Radiocarbon Results on Rattus exulans Bone', New Zealand Journal of Archaeology, vol. 24, pp. 149-156.
  • Anderson, A 2004, 'Its about time: the Indo-Pacific Colonisation Project', in Tim Murray (ed.), Archaeology from Australia, Australian Scholarly Publishing Pty Ltd, Melbourne, Australia, pp. 3-17.
  • Higham, T, Hedges, R, Anderson, A et al 2004, 'Problems associated with the AMS dating of small bone samples: the question of the arrival of Polynesian rats to New Zealand', Radiocarbon, vol. 46, no. 1, pp. 207-218.
  • Anderson, A, Scofield, P & Worthy, T 2004, 'The number of Moa at Wairau Bar: correction and comment', Records of the Canterbury Museum, vol. 18, pp. 49-50.
  • Anderson, A 2004, 'Islands of Ambivalence', in Scott M. Fitzpatrick (ed.), Voyages of Discovery: The Archaeology of Islands, Praeger Publishers, Connecticut, USA, pp. 1-309.
  • Anderson, A & Higham, T 2004, 'The Age of Rat Introduction in New Zealand: Further Evidence from Earthquakes #1, North Otago', New Zealand Journal of Archaeology, vol. 24, pp. 135-147.
  • Kennett, D, Anderson, A, Cruz, M et al 2004, 'Geochemical characterization of Lapita pottery via inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS)', Archaeometry, vol. 46, no. 1, pp. 35-46.
  • Anderson, A 2003, 'Entering Uncharted Waters: Models of initial colonization in Polynesia', in Marcy Rockman & James Steele (ed.), Colonization of Unfamiliar Landscapes: the archaeology of adaptation, Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group, London/New York, pp. 169-190.
  • Anderson, A 2003, 'Investigating early settlement on Lord Howe Island', Australian Archaeology, vol. 57, pp. 98-103.
  • Anderson, A, Conte, E, Kirch, P et al 2003, 'Cultural Chronology in Mangareva (Gambier Islands), French Polynesia: Evidence from recent radiocarbon dating', Journal of the Polynesian Society, vol. 112, no. 2, pp. 119-141.
  • Anderson, A & Conte, E 2003, 'Radiocarbon Ages for Two sites on Ua Huka, Marquesas', Asian Perspectives, vol. 42, no. 1, pp. 155-161.
  • Phear, S, Clark, G & Anderson, A 2003, 'A radiocarbon chronology for Palau', International Conference for the 50th anniversary of the first Lapita excavation (July 1952), ed. Christophe Sand, Le Cahiers de l�Arch�ologie en Nouvelle-Cal�donie, Noumea, pp. 255-263.
  • Szabo, K, Ramirez, H, Anderson, A et al 2003, 'Prehistoric subsistence strategies on the Batanes Islands, Northern Phillippines', Congress of the Indo-Pacific Prehistory Association 2002, ed. Peter Bellwood, Doreen Bowdery, Richard Pearson & Judy Voelker, Indo-Pacific Prehistory Association, Canberra, pp. 163-172.
  • Anderson, A, Conte, E, Kirch, P et al. 2003, 'Archaeological investigations of the Gambier Islands, French Polynesia, 2001', International Conference for the 50th anniversary of the first Lapita excavation (July 1952), ed. Christophe Sand, Le Cahiers de l�Arch�ologie en Nouvelle-Cal�donie, Noumea, pp. 343-352.
  • Anderson, A 2003, 'Initial human dispersal in Remote Oceania: patterns and explanation', International Conference for the 50th anniversary of the first Lapita excavation (July 1952), ed. Christophe Sand, Le Cahiers de l�Arch�ologie en Nouvelle-Cal�donie, Noumea, pp. 71-84.
  • Anderson, A 2003, Prodigious birds : moas and moa-hunting in prehistoric New Zealand, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
  • Bellwood, P, Stevenson, J, Anderson, A et al 2003, 'Archaeological and palaeoenvironmental research in the Batanes and Ilocos Norte Provinces, Northern Philippines', Congress of the Indo-Pacific Prehistory Association 2002, ed. Peter Bellwood, Doreen Bowdery, Richard Pearson & Judy Voelker, Indo-Pacific Prehistory Association, Canberra, pp. 141-162.
  • Anderson, A & Sinoto, Y 2002, 'New radiocarbon ages of colonization sites in East Polynesia', Asian Perspectives, vol. 41, no. 2, pp. 242-257.
  • Anderson, A 2002, 'Faunal collapse, landscape change and settlement history in Remote Oceania', World Archaeology, vol. 33, no. 3, pp. 375-390.
  • Anderson, A 2002, 'A fragile plenty: Pre-European Maori and the New Zealand environment', in Eric Pawson and Tom Brooking (ed.), Environmental Histories of New Zealand, Oxford University Press, Victoria, Australia, pp. 19-34.
  • Clark, G & Anderson, A 2001, 'The pattern of Lapita settlement in Fiji', Archaeology in Oceania, vol. 36, no. 2, pp. 77-88.
  • Anderson, A 2001, 'Mobility models of Lapita migration', in GR Clark, AJ Anderson, T Vunidilo (ed.), The archaeology of Lapita dispersal in Oceania, Pandanus Books, Canberra ACT, pp. 15-24.
  • Anderson, A 2001, 'No Meat on that Beautiful Shore: The Prehistoric Abandonment of Subtropical Poynesian Islands', International Journal of Osteoarchaeology, vol. 11, no. 1-2, pp. 14-23.
  • Clark, G, Anderson, A & Matararaba, S 2001, 'The Lapita site at Votua, northern Lau Islands, Fiji', Archaeology in Oceania, vol. 36, no. 3, pp. 134-145.
  • Anderson, A & White, P 2001, 'Approaching the prehistory of Norfolk Island', Records of the Australian Museum - Supplement, vol. 27, pp. 1-11.
  • Holdaway, R & Anderson, A 2001, 'Avifauna from the Emily Bay Settlement Site, Norfolk Island: A Preliminary Account', Records of the Australian Museum - Supplement, vol. 27, pp. 85-100.
  • Anderson, A & Green, R 2001, 'Domestic and Religious Structures in the Emily Bay Settlement Site, Norfolk Island', Records of the Australian Museum - Supplement, vol. 27, pp. 43-51.
  • Walter, R & Anderson, A 2001, 'Fishbone from the Emily Bay Settlement Site, Norfolk Island', Records of the Australian Museum - Supplement, vol. 27, pp. 101-108.
  • Anderson, A, Smith, I & White, P 2001, 'Archaeological Fieldwork on Norfolk Island', Records of the Australian Museum - Supplement, vol. 27, pp. 11-33.
  • Turner, M, Anderson, A & Fullagar, R 2001, 'Stone Artefacts from the Emily Bay Settlement Site, Norfolk Island', Records of the Australian Museum - Supplement, vol. 27, pp. 53-66.
  • Anderson, A & White, P 2001, 'Prehistoric Settlement on Norfolk Island and its Oceanic Context', Records of the Australian Museum - Supplement, vol. 27, pp. 135-141.
  • Anderson, A, Ayliffe, L, Spooner, N et al 2001, 'The Terminal Age of the Fijian Megafauna', in A.Anderson, I.Lilley & S.O'Connor (ed.), Histories of Old Ages: Essays in honour of Rhys Jones, Pandanus Books, Canberra, pp. 251-264.
  • Anderson, A, Higham, T & Wallace, R 2001, 'The Radiocarbon Chronology of the Norfolk Island Archaeological Sites', Records of the Australian Museum - Supplement, vol. 27, pp. 33-42.
  • Schmidt, L, Anderson, A & Fuller, S 2001, 'Shell and Bone Artefacts from the Emily Bay Settlement Site, Norfolk Island', Records of the Australian Museum - Supplement, vol. 27, pp. 67-74.
  • Matisoo-Smith, E, Horsbugh, K, Robins, J et al 2001, 'Genetic Variation in Archaeological Rattus exulans Remains from the Emily Bay Settlement Site, Norfolk Island', Records of the Australian Museum - Supplement, vol. 27, pp. 81-84.
  • Clark, G, Anderson, A & Sorovi-Vunidilo, T, eds, 2001, The Archaeology of the Lapita Dispersal in Oceania, Pandanus Books, Canberra ACT.
  • Anderson, A & Clark, G 2001, 'Advances in New Zealand mammalogy 1990-2000: Polynesian dog or kuri', Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand, vol. 31, no. 1, pp. 161-163.
  • Anderson, A, Lilley, I & O'Connor, S, eds, 2001, Histories of Old Ages: Essays in honour of Rhys Jones, Pandanus Books, Canberra.
  • Anderson, A, Bedford, S, Clark, G et al 2001, 'An inventory of Lapita sites containing dentate-stamped pottery', in GR Clark, AJ Anderson, T Vunidilo (ed.), The archaeology of Lapita dispersal in Oceania, Pandanus Books, Canberra ACT, pp. 1-14.
  • Macphail, M, Hope, G & Anderson, A 2001, 'Polynesian Plant Introductions in the Southwest Pacific: Initial Pollen Evidence from Norfolk Island', Records of the Australian Museum - Supplement, vol. 27, pp. 123-135.
  • Steadman, D, Worthy, T, Anderson, A et al 2000, 'New species and records of birds from prehistoric sites on Niue, Southwest Pacific', Wilson Bulletin, vol. 112, pp. 165-186.
  • Anderson, A, Clark, G, Conte, E et al 2000, 'Renewed Excavations at Motu Paeao, Maupiti Island, French Polynesia: Preliminary Results', New Zealand Journal of Archaeology, vol. 21, pp. 47-66.
  • Anderson, A, Wallin, P, Martinsson, H et al 2000, 'Towards a first prehistory of Kiritimati (Christmas) Island, Republic of Kiribati', Journal of the Polynesian Society, vol. 109, pp. 273-294.
  • Anderson, A, Clark, G & Worthy, T 2000, 'An inland Lapita site in Fiji', Journal of the Polynesian Society, vol. 109, pp. 311-316.
  • Anderson, A 2000, 'Differential reliability of 14C AMS ages of Rattus exulans bone gelatin in south Pacific prehistory', Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand, vol. 30, pp. 243-261.
  • Anderson, A 2000, 'Slow boats from China: Issues in the prehistory of Indo-Pacific seafaring', in O?Connor, S.; Veth, P. (ed.), East of Wallace�s Line: Studies of past and present maritime cultures of the Indo-Pacific region, A A Balkema, Rotterdam, pp. 13-51.
  • Anderson, A & Clark, G 1999, 'The age of Lapita settlement in Fiji', Archaeology in Oceania, vol. 34, pp. 31-39.
  • Higham, T, Anderson, A & Jacomb, C 1999, 'Dating the first New Zealanders: the chronology of Wairau Bar', Antiquity, vol. 73, pp. 420-427.
  • Anderson, A 1998, The Welcome of Strangers: an ethnohistory of southern Maori AD 1650-1850, University of Otago Press, Dunedin.