The fortified settlement of Macapainara, Lautem District

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.