High-precision radiocarbon dating shows recent and rapid initial human colonization of East Polynesia

Abstract

The 15 archipelagos of East Polynesia, including New Zealand, Hawaii, and Rapa Nui, were the last habitable places on earth colonized by prehistoric humans. The timing and pattern of this colonization event has been poorly resolved, with chronologies varying by >1000 y, precluding understanding of cultural change and ecological impacts on these pristine ecosystems. In a metaanalysis of 1,434 radiocarbon dates from the region, reliable short-lived samples reveal that the colonization of East Polynesia occurred in two distinct phases: earliest in the Society Islands A.D. ∼1025-1120, four centuries later than previously assumed; then after 70-265 y, dispersal continued in one major pulse to all remaining islands A.D. ∼1190-1290. We show that previously supported longer chronologies have relied upon radiocarbon-dated materials with large sources of error, making them unsuitable for precise dating of recent events. Our empirically based and dramatically shortened chronology for the colonization of East Polynesia resolves longstanding paradoxes and offers a robust explanation for the remarkable uniformity of East Polynesian culture, human biology, and language. Models of human colonization, ecological change and historical linguistics for the region now require substantial revision.

The prehistory of Rapa Island

“…The span of colonisation could probably be specified more precisely and narrowed further through more radiocarbon dating, but our chronological hypothesis at present is that there was no human colonisation of Rapa before the 12th century AD. Colonisation at that time is consistent with initial human dispersal throughout central East Polynesia (Wilmshurst et al 2011) and shows that even quite remote islands were reached in this phase.…”

Complete mitochondrial DNA genome sequences from the first New Zealanders

“…The authors determined that the expansion event occurred from the Society Islands, which were only settled 70-265 y previously. This rapid and recent expansion event, they argue, explains the "remarkable uniformity of East Polynesian culture, human biology and language" (22). We report here complete ancient mitochondrial genomes from Polynesia, which likely represent the founding population of New Zealand and which date almost directly to this period of rapid expansion and settlement.…”

“…A recent reevaluation of the dates for the colonization of East Polynesia suggests that, contrary to earlier studies positing a relatively long (2,000 y) chronology for the region, the settlement of most of East Polynesia occurred rapidly, in the period from A.D. ∼1190-1290 (22). The authors determined that the expansion event occurred from the Society Islands, which were only settled 70-265 y previously.…”

Sustaining Sustainability: Creating a Systems Science in a Fragmented Academy and Polarized World

“…Carbon dating puts the arrival of the fi rst humans, intrepid Polynesian sailors, around the year 1200 (Wilmshurst et al 2011 ). Pollen counts from soil cores and other records show that they found a lushly forested island with diverse fauna, particularly birds (Bahn and Flenley 1992 ;Steadman 1995 ) .…”