Unearthing the History of Mokil Atoll: A Fresh Perspective through Zooarchaeological Exploration

Summary

This is an abstract from the "SAA 2024: Individual Abstracts" session, at the 89th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

There has been a dearth of research on atolls in the central-eastern part of the Caroline Islands, especially from a zooarchaeological perspective. We present the first zooarchaeological analysis for Mokil atoll, which has been continuously inhabited since 1700-1500 cal. BP. The material was excavated in 2013 on the islet of Kahlap. The majority of the zooarchaeological remains, over 67%, were mollusks, followed by fish, and a marginal quantity of birds and mammals. Use of bivalves largerly decreases over time, while a slight increase in gastropods can be distinguished. The most prominent families represented are mesodesmatids, cone snails/true conch, and ceriths. Fish, especially parrotfish, wrasses, and groupers, were most intensively utilized between 910-1550 BP. Rats first appear in the archaeological record around 910-1550 BP, while evidence for chickens and dogs dates back as early as 1400-1700 BP. None of these appear in the oldest layers, suggesting that these species, often considered to be part of the “transported landscape”, were not introduced during the initial migrations to Mokil. This study sheds light on early migration strategies to atoll environments, as well as contributes to understanding human-environmental interactions through time, in one of the most remote areas of the world.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• SAA 2024: Individual Abstracts   •
• Society for American Archaeology 89th Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA (2024)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 40310.0