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First Radiocarbon Chronology for Mwoakilloa (Mokil) Atoll, Eastern Caroline Islands, Micronesia

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 January 2016

Aaron S Poteate ,
Scott M Fitzpatrick ,
William S Ayres  and
Adam Thompson
Aaron S Poteate*
Affiliation:
Department of Anthropology, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403, USA.
Scott M Fitzpatrick
Affiliation:
Department of Anthropology, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403, USA.
William S Ayres
Affiliation:
Department of Anthropology, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403, USA.
Adam Thompson
Affiliation:
National Archaeologist for the Federated States of Micronesia 2011-2013.
*
*Corresponding author. Email: apoteate@uoregon.edu.
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Abstract

Given their sheer number and evidence for long-term prehistoric occupation, atolls occupy a unique position in the peopling of the Pacific. However, they have frequently been overlooked in favor of larger islands due to a host of logistical and other issues. Once viewed as marginal environments, current research is now showing that small islands like these may have been more attractive to settlers than once thought. A new research program in Micronesia is dedicated to examining atolls to better develop baseline chronologies and investigate long-term human adaptations. As part of the initial stage of the project, we present the first radiocarbon dates (n=10) from Mwoakilloa (Mokil) atoll, which support a continuous occupation beginning between 1700–1560 cal BP (2σ). When compared to the settlement of other atoll groups in Micronesia such as the Marshall Islands—along with the nearby high volcanic islands of Pohnpei and Kosrae at approximately 2000–1800 yr ago—the dates from Mwoakilloa suggest a nearly contemporaneous or only slightly later occupation. The recovery of faunal material also demonstrates the translocation of at least two animals (Pacific rat and dog) to the island by humans that was coeval with early settlement. Additionally, there is evidence of landscape transformation in the form of a relatively large artificial mound created by debris and platform accumulation unseen elsewhere in central-eastern Micronesia, but common to atolls. These new dates reinforce the notion that Mwoakilloa and other atolls are integral to understanding prehistoric adaptations across the vast Pacific, though many questions still remain such as to the degree of interaction that occurred with nearby islands and whether settlement was continuous or intermittent through time.

Keywords

small islandsadaptationcolonizationdomesticatesPacific Islands
Type
Research Article
Information
Radiocarbon , Volume 58 , Issue 1 , March 2016 , pp. 169 - 178
Copyright
© 2016 by the Arizona Board of Regents on behalf of the University of Arizona 

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