All articles tagged with #rapa nui
A new study suggests that invasive Polynesian rats played a significant role in the deforestation of Rapa Nui, with a single pair of rats capable of destroying 95% of palm seeds within 47 years, challenging the traditional view that humans alone caused the island's environmental collapse.
Scientists have confirmed that the iconic moai statues of Rapa Nui could have been moved by ancient people using a rocking, walking method with ropes, supported by experiments, 3D modeling, and analysis of the island's roads, solving a 500-year-old mystery.
Archaeologists studying obsidian blades on Rapa Nui have found evidence that the island's early settlers had contact with South America, as indicated by the presence of starch grains from South American plants. The findings suggest that the islanders made voyages to South America, bringing back novel foodstuffs that influenced the island's agricultural landscape. This discovery challenges the long-held belief of Rapa Nui's isolation and supports the oral histories of the Rapu Nui people recounting voyages to South America during the island's early settlement phase.
A new study reveals that the first settlers of Rapa Nui, also known as Easter Island, had regular contact with South Americans 1,000 years ago, as evidenced by starch grains found on obsidian blades at the archaeological site of Anakena. The findings suggest that the early Polynesians had a fusion cuisine of plants native to Polynesia and South America, indicating sustained interaction between the two populations nearly a millennium ago. This research contributes new information to the ongoing discussion of Rapa Nui prehistory, shedding light on the island's early settlement and its connections to South America.
A new study reveals that the first settlers of Rapa Nui, also known as Easter Island, had regular contact with South Americans 1,000 years ago, as evidenced by food remnants found on obsidian blades at the archaeological site of Anakena. The findings suggest that the early Polynesians had interactions with South American peoples and brought back crops from the continent, shedding light on the island's prehistory and the origins of its settlers.
Radiocarbon dating of a rongorongo tablet from Easter Island suggests that the undeciphered script may predate European colonization, indicating it could be one of the few independently invented writing systems. The tablet's wood dates back to the late 15th or early 16th century, centuries before Europeans arrived on Rapa Nui, supporting the idea that the script was an original invention by the islanders. The intricate glyphs of the rongorongo script bear no resemblance to European letters, further suggesting independent development. The study's findings provide strong evidence for the script's independent invention and offer new insights into the history of writing systems.