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SUMMARY:The chronology of cultural\, agricultural and demographic change i
 n ancient Sāmoa indicates that population rise is the proximate origin of
  Polynesian chiefdoms - Ethan Cochrane\, University of Auckland
DTSTART:20221107T160000Z
DTEND:20221107T173000Z
UID:TALK185264@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Simon Carrignon
DESCRIPTION:For decades\, the orthodox position has stated that chiefdoms 
 appeared in East Polynesia through demic diffusion as voyagers sailed east
  from Sāmoa about 1000 years ago\, to Hawai’i\, Tahiti\, and other arch
 ipelagos. These voyagers carried with them the germ of sociopolitical hier
 archy\, originating earlier through innovations in both land tenure and te
 chnologies that intensified agricultural production. Demographic variation
 \, such as population rise\, is also a contributing factor. The timing of 
 thes innovations and demographic changes in Samoa is\, however\, poorly un
 derstood.\n\nThis presentation focuses on recent genetic and demograpic an
 alyses and new archaeological data pertinent to land tenure and agricultur
 e on ‘Upolu Island\, Sāmoa. Analyses of modern genetic diversity identi
 fy a sharp population rise in Sāmoa 1000 years ago. Archaeological analys
 es including lidar mapping\, pedestrian survey\, excavation\, and Bayesian
  chronological modelling reveal land-tenure changes through the constructi
 on of large corporate-built rock walls after 900 cal BP and smaller walls\
 , possibly a component of intensified agriculture\, built several hundred 
 years later. Chronological\, sedimentological\, and geochemical analyses o
 f both stream profiles and sediment cores identify human-induced burning o
 f portions of the valley after 670 cal BP\, roughly contemporaneous with t
 he construction of ditches and forest removal upslope of ditched areas\, a
 dditional evidence of intensified agriculture. This all points to populati
 on rise as a proximate cause for the evolution of soicopolitical hierarchy
  in Sāmoa\, and perhaps a necessary precondition. We will explore several
  evolutionary models for the development of sociopolitical hierarchy in li
 ght of the Samoan case and question the assumption that cultural diffusion
  explains sociopolitical hierarchy\, chiefdoms\, in East Polynesia.\n\nReg
 istration link: https://cam-ac-uk.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJUtceugrjIrGNX
 rttydB_XbuFHMtgssRo33
LOCATION:McDonald Institute Seminar Room\, Department of Archaeology\, Dow
 ning Site
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