Prehistory and palaeoecology of Yap, federated states of Micronesia

Dodson, J. R.; Intoh, Michiko

doi:10.1016/s1040-6182(98)00068-8

Cited by 63 publications

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“…If the colonization of western Micronesia took place between 3500 and 3000 cal. B.P., as some archaeological and paleoenvironmental results now suggest (Clark 2004;Clark and Wright 2003a;Dodson and Intoh 1999), then the earliest cultural assemblage from Ulong may postdate initial Austronesian arrival by a few centuries.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 91%

A 3000-Year Culture Sequence from Palau, Western Micronesia

Clark¹

2005

asi

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In western Micronesia archaeological sites containing material-culture remains spanning millennia are rare. This paper reports one from Ulong Island in Palau, which is radiocarbon dated to 3000 cal. B.P. The pottery sequence was divided into three assemblages, each distinguished by distinct vessel forms and by the type and proportion of nonplastic temper inclusions. An abrupt transformation of the ceramic assemblage is tentatively dated to around 2400 cal. B.P., coincident with substantial landscape alteration on the main island where pottery was manufactured, indicating that anthropogenic activity may have constrained the raw materials available to prehistoric potters. There is a discontinuity in the sequence from 2000-1000 B.P. that might represent an hiatus in site use. Critical consideration of paleoenvironmental data pointing to human arrival at 4500-4300 cal. B.P. suggests, instead, that climatic events may be responsible for the observed palaeoecological changes. If so, then sites dating to 3300-3000 cal. B.P., such as Ulong, could well be among the oldest in western Micronesia.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 91%

A 3000-Year Culture Sequence from Palau, Western Micronesia

Clark¹

2005

asi

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“…Three types of pottery have been made throughout the island's history (Intoh and Leach, 1985). Pollen analysis conducted in southern and northern locations in Yap revealed an even longer history of human occupation of the island (Dodson and Intoh, 1999). The pollen evidence suggests forest disturbance and grassland increase, and there is a sudden increase of charcoal particles from about 3500 years ago.…”

Section: Archaeological Backgroundmentioning

confidence: 98%

Prehistoric pig and dog remains from Fais Island, Micronesia

Intoh¹,

Shigehara

2004

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Pig and dog remains excavated from Fais Island in Micronesia were examined. The temporal distribution pattern of the excavated bones indicates that pigs and dogs have been kept on the island since at least 450 AD and possibly since around 220 AD. Both adult pigs and dogs were small in size. The majority of the excavated specimens were young or even juvenile. It is not clear if these animals were kept on Fais Island regularly or introduced from time to time. The possible source areas of pigs and/or dogs are the Philippines, Indonesia and northern Melanesia. The eastern Caroline Islands are another potential source area for the dogs.

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“…adze/chisel shells, which have a wide distribution in Micronesia (Intoh 1981b), were found. These were considered Micronesian adzes by researchers working in Melanesia (see Intoh 1999). This could have been due to environmental factors, although this was not found in Tobi where some migrants from Fais settled (Intoh and Ono 2007).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The existence of prehistoric pigs and dogs is ambiguous (Intoh and Leach 1985). Paleoecological data, on the other hand, based on pollen and charcoal content analyses, indicates a longer habitation history on Yap, possibly about 3300 years (Dodson and Intoh 1999). Archaeological evidence is yet to be found for the earliest 1300 years of the sequence.…”

Section: Archaeological Backgroundmentioning

confidence: 98%

Ongoing Archaeological Research on Fais Island, Micronesia

Intoh¹

2008

asi

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The third season of archaeological research was carried out on Fais Island in the Caroline Islands at the end of 2005. A deep cultural deposit (more than 3.3 meters) was excavated along the southern coastal deposit from which a number of potsherds, shell artifacts, bone artifacts, and various kinds of natural remains were found. The constant recovery of artifactual remains supports the previous supposition that the island was continuously inhabited since the time of the first colonization. Pigs and dogs (and possibly chickens) have definitely existed on the island since about a.d. 400 afterward. Two charcoal samples obtained from the earliest cultural deposit were securely dated as a.d. 230–410 (Beta-21306) and a.d. 240–420 (Beta- 213061). These are the earliest dates obtained for the coral islands in the central Caroline Islands. The continuous appearance of potsherds and natural food remains throughout the culture sequence indicates that Fais was permanently settled for the last 1700 years and was not just occupied for a short period of time. On the basis of introduced pottery and domesticated animals, maintaining cultural contacts with high islands could have been a significant way to survive on such small coral islands with limited resources.

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Prehistory and palaeoecology of Yap, federated states of Micronesia

Cited by 63 publications

References 0 publications

A 3000-Year Culture Sequence from Palau, Western Micronesia

A 3000-Year Culture Sequence from Palau, Western Micronesia

Prehistoric pig and dog remains from Fais Island, Micronesia

Ongoing Archaeological Research on Fais Island, Micronesia

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