Kilu Cave is a paleoanthropological site located on Buka Island in the Autonomous Region of Bougainville, Papua New Guinea.

[3] However, archaeologists had long believed that human occupation in the Solomon Islands occurred much earlier, based on linguistic and anthropological evidence.

[4][3] At its maximum, Greater Bougainville would have had a total land area of around 46,400 square kilometres (17,900 sq mi).

[5] The earliest radiocarbon date (ANU-5990: 28740 +/- 280 BP) was made on the shell of a sea snail (Nerita)[5] and using the southern curve (SHCAL13) calibrates to between 29,850-31,560 BC cal (95% probability).

[4][3][5] The people of Kilu Cave exploited a wide range of terrestrial and marine animals for food.

The extinction and extirpation of various bird and mammalian fauna on Baku Island appeared to coincide with the arrival of the Lapita culture.

Two new species of rat, Solomys spriggsarum and Melomys spechti, were identified from fossil remains at Kilu Cave.

[2] The presence of taro starch grains were discovered on 17 of the lithic tools from the Pleistocene layer at Kilu Cave.

[6] 44 pottery sherds were discovered in the upper layers of the site and typed to the Buka phase of the Lapita culture.