Henderson, RobertBedford, StuartSpriggs, MatthewYona, SalkonPhillip, IarawaiShing, RichardValentin, FrédériqueHarvey, Caitlin2025-12-162025-12-160728-4896ORCID:/0009-0007-9492-8975/work/188880084https://hdl.handle.net/1885/733795653This paper presents a detailed overview of archaeological research undertaken on Epi and Tongoa, in central Vanuatu. These islands were previously connected to one another and respectively formed the western and eastern portions of Kuwae, one of the largest islands in the Vanuatu archipelago, until the catastrophic Tombuk volcanic eruption separated them in the mid-fifteenth century AD. Oral traditions and insights drawn from previous ethnographic, linguistic and genetic research provide context for the archaeological data. We begin to address questions about the extent to which impacts of the major Tombuk eruption were experienced across the entirety of the former Kuwae landmass, and the role of this and other volcanic events in the complex transformations of the physical and cultural landscapes of central Vanuatu.We thank the Chiefs, landowners, and communities of Epi Island for granting permission to carry out field work between 2005 and 2008, for their participation in many of the excavations, and for their hospitality and generosity. We also thank the Vanuatu Cultural Centre (VCC) and its staff for their support and involvement, as well as the VCC filwokas for Epi, Salkon Yona and Selvie Charlie, and the former filwoka for Lamen Island, Joel Lemaya. Additional assistance in the field was provided by Jacques Bol\u00E9 and Andrew Hoffman. Hoffman's report and publication relating to Epi have been instrumental in developing aspects of this paper and we echo him in acknowledging the previous heritage survey work on Epi conducted by staff of the Vanuatu Cultural and Historical Sites Survey (VCHSS, now the Vanuatu National Heritage Registry, VNHR). This paper draws on decades\u2019 worth of research in the islands of central Vanuatu. In particular, we acknowledge the communities which collaborated with Jos\u00E9 Garanger during pioneering field work conducted on Tongoa, Efate, and other islands of central Vanuatu during the 1960s.21en© 2025 The Author(s).EpiKuwaeTombukTongoaVanuatuvolcanic eruptionséruptions volcaniques2025105002264408