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TEMPO AND TRAJECTORY OF THE BUILT LANDSCAPE ON TA‘Ū ISLAND, MANU‘A GROUP, AMERICAN SĀMOA: INTEGRATING EXTENSIVE RADIOCARBON DATING WITH JOINT POSTERIOR MODELING

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 July 2020

Seth Quintus Open the ORCID record for Seth Quintus [Opens in a new window] ,
Jennifer Huebert Open the ORCID record for Jennifer Huebert [Opens in a new window] ,
Stephanie Day ,
Noa Lincoln ,
Kyungsoo Yoo ,
Tiffany Lee ,
Darby Filimoehala  and
Dolly Autufuga
Seth Quintus*
Affiliation:
Department of Anthropology, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, 2424 Maile Way, Honolulu, HI96822, USA
Jennifer Huebert
Affiliation:
Sunrise Archaeology, Akaroa, New Zealand7520
Stephanie Day
Affiliation:
Department of Geoscience, North Dakota State University, 1340 Bolley Drive, Fargo, ND58102, USA
Noa Lincoln
Affiliation:
Department of Tropical Plant and Soil Sciences, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, 3190 Maile Way, Honolulu, HI96822, USA
Kyungsoo Yoo
Affiliation:
Department of Soil, Water, and Climate, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, 1991 Upper Buford Circle, Saint Paul, MN55108, USA
Tiffany Lee
Affiliation:
Department of Anthropology, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, 2424 Maile Way, Honolulu, HI96822, USA
Darby Filimoehala
Affiliation:
International Archaeological Research Institute, Inc., 2081 Young St., Honolulu, HI96826, USA
Dolly Autufuga
Affiliation:
Department of Tropical Plant and Soil Sciences, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, 3190 Maile Way, Honolulu, HI96822, USA
*
*Corresponding author. Email: squintus@hawaii.edu
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Abstract

Stone and earthen architecture is nearly ubiquitous in the archaeological record of Pacific islands. The construction of this architecture is tied to a range of socio-political processes, and the temporal patterning of these features is useful for understanding the rate at which populations grew, innovation occurred, and social inequality emerged. Unfortunately, this temporal patterning is poorly understood for many areas of the region, including the Sāmoan archipelago. Here, we describe a project directed toward establishing a robust chronology for the construction of these earthen and stone terraces and linear mounds on Ta‘ū Island. Using recent methodological improvements, we highlight the tempo at which different architectural types were constructed on the island and the implications for understanding demographic expansion and changing land tenure practices in the last 1500 years. This research suggests the construction of architecture was largely confined to the 2nd millennium AD with a small number of terraces plausibly built in the 1st millennium AD. This temporal patterning suggests that a reconfiguration of settlement patterns occurred within West Polynesia as people there moved into other regions of Oceania.

Keywords

Bayesian modelinglandscape engineeringOceaniasettlement change
Type
Research Article
Information
Radiocarbon , Volume 62 , Issue 5 , October 2020 , pp. 1317 - 1337
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© 2020 by the Arizona Board of Regents on behalf of the University of Arizona

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