title: New precise dates for the ancient and sacred coral pyramidal tombs of Leluh (Kosrae, Micronesia).
abstract: Monumental tombs within ancient civilizations worldwide hold precious clues for deciphering the architectural skill, acumen, and industry of prehistoric cultures. Most tombs were constructed from abiotic materials-stone, soil, and/or clay, predominately-and were built to permanently inter royalty or high-status individuals. On the island of Kosrae in the central Pacific, monumental tombs were constructed with scleractinian coral and were confined to the prehistoric island capital of Leluh, where they served as temporary mortuary processing points. Like other prehistoric tombs, the Leluh tombs were dated by association-from the remnants of the temporarily interred. We present new dates for three sacred tombs using high-precision U-Th dates from 24 corals collected directly from the structural materials. The results suggest that the tombs were built about 700 years ago during the 14th century, about three centuries earlier than previously reported. The new dates redefine the peak occupation of Leluh and place its ruling paramountcy at the leading edge of the developing trans-oceanic political hierarchies, as well as the social and economic systems that dominated the civilizations in this part of the world.
authors.affiliation: Department of Aquatic Zoology, Western Australian Museum, Welshpool, Western Australia 6015, Australia.
authors.forename: Zoe T
authors.initials: ZT
authors.lastname: Richards
authors.affiliation: High-Precision Mass Spectrometry and Environment Change Laboratory (HISPEC), Department of Geosciences, National Taiwan University, Taipei 10617, Taiwan ROC.
authors.forename: Chuan-Chou
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Shen
authors.affiliation: Department of Environment and Agriculture, Curtin University, Perth, Western Australia 6845, Australia.
authors.forename: Jean-Paul A
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Hobbs
authors.affiliation: High-Precision Mass Spectrometry and Environment Change Laboratory (HISPEC), Department of Geosciences, National Taiwan University, Taipei 10617, Taiwan ROC.
authors.forename: Chung-Che
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.affiliation: High-Precision Mass Spectrometry and Environment Change Laboratory (HISPEC), Department of Geosciences, National Taiwan University, Taipei 10617, Taiwan ROC. ; College of Geography Science, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou 350007, China.
authors.forename: Xiuyang
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.affiliation: College of Arts and Sciences, University of La Verne, La Verne, CA 91750, USA.
authors.forename: Felicia
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Beardsley
keywords: Chronology; Coral; High-Precision Mass Spectrometry; Monumental Tombs; Mortuary structures; Pacific Ocean Occupation; Pyramids; U-Th Dating; X-ray Diffractometry; coral reefs