Radiocarbon Dating in the Mariana Islands

Summary

One of the most enigmatic human dispersals into the Pacific is the colonisation of the Mariana Islands. Here the interpretation of radiocarbon (14C) dates from early settlement sites are hotly debated. One interpretation suggests the Marianas were colonised directly from the northern Philippines around ~3500 BP. However, the age of one of the earliest Mariana sites; Bapot-1, has recently been revised down to ~3200-3080 cal. BP following research by Petchey et al. (in press) which demonstrated that 14C depleted waters (hardwaters) had been incorporated into the estuarine Anadara antiquata shells, but not into shells belonging to reef dwelling animals. This research has demonstrated the importance of integrating radiocarbon, environmental and zoological information when building island chronologies. This presentation discusses our ongoing research into the marine 14C offsets in this region.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 82nd Annual Meeting, Vancouver, BC (2017)   •
• The Island Anthropocene

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 15250