Reconsidering precolumbian human colonization in the Galapagos Islands, Republic of Ecuador

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dc.contributor.authorAnderson, Aen_AU
dc.contributor.authorStothert, Ken_AU
dc.contributor.authorMartinsson-Wallin, Hen_AU
dc.contributor.authorWallin, Pen_AU
dc.contributor.authorFlett, Ien_AU
dc.contributor.authorHaberle, SGen_AU
dc.contributor.authorHeijnis, Hen_AU
dc.contributor.authorRhodes, Een_AU
dc.date.accessioned2017-05-04T00:14:15Zen_AU
dc.date.available2017-05-04T00:14:15Zen_AU
dc.date.issued2016-03-01en_AU
dc.date.statistics2017-05-04en_AU
dc.description.abstractFifty years ago, Heyerdahl and Skjølsvold (1956, 1990) collected material from five archaeological sites in the Galápagos Islands. They retained earthenwares of possible precolumbian origin and discarded ceramic, metal, and glass artifacts postdating the arrival of the Spanish in A.D. 1535. Consequently, they argued that each site was formed as the results of a series of discard events from unrelated short-term occupations extending from the precolumbian to the historical era, and that the earthenwares represented occasional visits by fishermen from precolumbian Peru and Ecuador. In 2005, we re-excavated the sites and collected all the excavated materials. Our results show that each class of material, irrespective of age or origin, was distributed spatially and stratigraphically in the same pattern, contradicting the former assumption of multiple, unrelated occupations. We reject the palimpsest model in favor of the null hypothesis of single-phase site occupation. Analysis of putatively precolumbian pottery using optically-stimulated luminescence dating indicates that it is mostly of historical age. Radiocarbon dating confirms that the archaeological sites are younger than the sixteenth century. Research on sedimentary cores shows probable anthropogenic impacts as restricted to the last 500 years. We conclude that there was no human occupation in the Galápagos Islands until the historical era. © Society for American Archaeology 2016en_AU
dc.identifier.citationAnderson, A, Stothert, K, Martinsson-Wallin, H., Wallin, P., Flett, I., Haberle, S., Heijnis, H., & Rhodes, E (2016). Reconsidering precolumbian human colonization in the Galapagos Islands, Republic of Ecuador. Latin American Antiquity, 27(2), 169-183. doi:10.7183/1045-6635.27.2.169.en_AU
dc.identifier.govdoc6753en_AU
dc.identifier.issn2325-5080en_AU
dc.identifier.issue2en_AU
dc.identifier.journaltitleLatin American Antiquityen_AU
dc.identifier.pagination169-183en_AU
dc.identifier.urihttps://doi.org/10.7183/1045-6635.27.2.169en_AU
dc.identifier.urihttp://apo.ansto.gov.au/dspace/handle/10238/8665en_AU
dc.identifier.volume27en_AU
dc.language.isoenen_AU
dc.publisherSociety for American Archaeologyen_AU
dc.subjectPopulationsen_AU
dc.subjectEcuadoren_AU
dc.subjectArchaeological sitesen_AU
dc.subjectCeramicsen_AU
dc.subjectMetalsen_AU
dc.subjectGlassen_AU
dc.titleReconsidering precolumbian human colonization in the Galapagos Islands, Republic of Ecuadoren_AU
dc.typeJournal Articleen_AU
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