The Origin and Development of the Tongan Maritime Empire. This project aims to understand the nature and development of the Tongan maritime empire, the most complex socio-political entity to exist in prehistoric Oceania. Extensive excavations of monumental structures and other sites throughout the central Pacific will create the first cultural sequence of the empire and a comprehensive radiocarbon chronology. The excavations will concentrate on sites of cross-cultural contact between indigeno ....The Origin and Development of the Tongan Maritime Empire. This project aims to understand the nature and development of the Tongan maritime empire, the most complex socio-political entity to exist in prehistoric Oceania. Extensive excavations of monumental structures and other sites throughout the central Pacific will create the first cultural sequence of the empire and a comprehensive radiocarbon chronology. The excavations will concentrate on sites of cross-cultural contact between indigenous peoples of the region. In addition traditional and documentary historical records will be reanalysed. A substantial monograph will assess the significance of these new Pacific data in relation to our understanding of maritime empires around the world.Read moreRead less
Stepping-Stones or Barrier: The Movement and Impact of People throughout the Far Eastern Pacific Islands. The vast ocean of the far eastern Pacific divides two great migratory peoples, the Amerindians and Polynesians. Whether or not members of either group overcame this barrier remains one of the greatest uncertainties in Pacific prehistory. We focus on the remote islands of the far eastern Pacific Ocean and combine fine-resolution archaeology, palaeoecology, and dating techniques to determine t ....Stepping-Stones or Barrier: The Movement and Impact of People throughout the Far Eastern Pacific Islands. The vast ocean of the far eastern Pacific divides two great migratory peoples, the Amerindians and Polynesians. Whether or not members of either group overcame this barrier remains one of the greatest uncertainties in Pacific prehistory. We focus on the remote islands of the far eastern Pacific Ocean and combine fine-resolution archaeology, palaeoecology, and dating techniques to determine the antiquity and nature of occupation on these islands. Their role as stepping-stones for human migration and material exchange will be determined and the notion of these islands as pristine and unspoilt at the time of European discovery will be challenged.Read moreRead less