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The Atiahara site revisited: An early coastal settlement in Tubuai (Austral Islands, French Polynesia)
Author(s) -
HERMANN AYMERIC,
BOLLT ROBERT,
CONTE ERIC
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
archaeology in oceania
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1834-4453
pISSN - 0728-4896
DOI - 10.1002/arco.5070
Subject(s) - radiocarbon dating , archaeology , archipelago , context (archaeology) , excavation , human settlement , stratigraphy , geography , geology , paleontology , tectonics
The Atiahara site is the first and only excavated site on Tubuai Island (Austral archipelago, French Polynesia). It was accidently discovered in 1994 and has been excavated on several occasions since then, over a surface of 197 m 2 . This paper aims to present a compilation of the data available from the excavations, with a specific focus on stratigraphy, a spatial analysis of preserved occupations and new radiocarbon dates. We report a short dating sequence running from 1215 to 1390 CE, which makes the Atiahara site one of the earliest settlements in the Austral Islands. Finally, we mention the potential for tackling important topics in Polynesian archaeology through this key site, including the evolution of material culture and fishing strategies, socio‐economic dynamics within a central Polynesian domestic context and possible climate variability in the region.