Mangarevan Archaeology: Interpretations using new data and 40 year old excavations to establish a sequence from 1200 to 1900 AD

Abstract

An unpublished archaeological sequence supported by information from six sites excavated in the Mangarevan group in 1959 is presented in the context of additional data and current interpretations of the prehistory of southeastern Polynesia. The sequence covers the period from ca. 1200 ad to the time of early 19th century contact with Europeans, with its dating enhanced by four new radiocarbon age determinations plus four previous ones, all on samples collected in 1959. More recent information from archaeological investigations on nearby Pitcairn and Henderson islands, showing they formed part of a long-term interaction sphere with Mangareva, indicate that while the early part of the Mangareva sequence from ca. 800 to 1200 ad remains unexplored through excava- tion, buried deposits for this interval probably exist within Rikitea village on the main island of the group. An 800 ad settlement for Mangareva is consistent with a similar age and origin for the first inhabitants of Easter Island, as aspects of the 13th century assemblages from both places still remain quite comparable in style and function.