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Near & Far: Understanding Long-distance Trade and Interaction within the Society Islands through the Application of Energy Dispersive X-Ray Fluorescence
Guthrie, Lindsey
Guthrie, Lindsey
Abstract
The Society Island archipelago of East Polynesia is a volcanic chain located east of the andesite line, producing alkalic lava flows ranging from basalt to trachyte in composition. The prehistoric Polynesian chiefdoms that settled the Society Islands exploited the abundance of basalt to produce numerous adzes and flake tools. The uneven distribution of high-quality, aphanitic basalt may have stimulated the need for regional production centers and trade relations between chiefdoms. However, the geographic isolation of many of the East Polynesian islands rendered continued long-distance voyaging unlikely, making intra- and inter-archipelago trade impractical. Through the use of non-destructive EDXRF, 273 lithic artifacts and 6 geologic samples collected from the islands of Maupiti, Mo‘orea, and Ra‘iatea were analyzed and differentiated into 15 geochemical groups based on elemental clustering and presented based on concentrations of Zr and Sr. These geochemical groups serve as a proxy for non-local trade and the continued need for long-distance voyaging. This crossdisciplinary application of petrology and geochemistry to the archaeological sciences addresses questions of raw material procurement and the ability to establish provenance based on geochemical signatures. Through the identification of multiple geochemical groupings reflecting both artifacts and their geological sources, I suggest that longdistance interactions and exchange persist beyond the initial settlement of the Society Island archipelago. By studying the change in geochemical groupings over time at each archaeological site, I illustrate shifts in spheres of influence and socioeconomic relations.
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2016-01-01
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Geology