title: Variation in Rapa Nui (Easter Island) land use indicates production and population peaks prior to European contact.
abstract: Many researchers believe that prehistoric Rapa Nui society collapsed because of centuries of unchecked population growth within a fragile environment. Recently, the notion of societal collapse has been questioned with the suggestion that extreme societal and demographic change occurred only after European contact in AD 1722. Establishing the veracity of demographic dynamics has been hindered by the lack of empirical evidence and the inability to establish a precise chronological framework. We use chronometric dates from hydrated obsidian artifacts recovered from habitation sites in regional study areas to evaluate regional land-use within Rapa Nui. The analysis suggests region-specific dynamics including precontact land use decline in some near-coastal and upland areas and postcontact increases and subsequent declines in other coastal locations. These temporal land-use patterns correlate with rainfall variation and soil quality, with poorer environmental locations declining earlier. This analysis confirms that the intensity of land use decreased substantially in some areas of the island before European contact.
authors.affiliation: Anthropology Program, School of World Studies, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23284; cmstevenson@vcu.edu.
authors.forename: Christopher M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Stevenson
authors.affiliation: Department of Anthropology, University of California, Davis, CA 95616;
authors.forename: Cedric O
authors.initials: CO
authors.lastname: Puleston
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305;
authors.forename: Peter M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Vitousek
authors.affiliation: Department of Geography, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA 93106;
authors.forename: Oliver A
authors.initials: OA
authors.lastname: Chadwick
authors.affiliation: Fundación Mata Ki Te Rangi, Hanga Roa, Rapa Nui, Chile; and.
authors.forename: Sonia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Haoa
authors.affiliation: Te Pūnaha Matatini and Department of Anthropology, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand 1142.
authors.forename: Thegn N
authors.initials: TN
authors.lastname: Ladefoged
mesh_terms: D000383:Agriculture / Q000266:history*; D000884:Anthropology, Cultural; D005260:Female; D005898:Glass / Q000032:analysis; D049668:History, 15th Century; D049669:History, 16th Century; D049670:History, 17th Century; D049671:History, 18th Century; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011114:Polynesia; D011157:Population Dynamics / Q000266:history*
chemical_list: C036485:obsidian
keywords: Rapa Nui; collapse; dating; obsidian; population