A study shows pre-historic mass graves found in the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu could be linked to tsunamis.
Photo: RNZ / Cole Eastham-Farrelly
The University of New South Wales study analysed several mass graves including in northern Scotland dating back 5000 years.
One of the study's authors James Goff said proving that a site is related to a past tsunami could lead to a fundamental rewrite of how prehistoric coastal human settlement is interpreted.
Professor Goff said in the Solomon Islands graves people were buried in unusual positions and were uncharacteristically young.
The study, published in the Journal of Archaeological Method and Theory, reinforces the hypothesis that these burial sites are related to tsunamis and is contrary to an earlier theory linking them to wars or epidemics.
