Did Rapa Nui society collapse before European contact?
Answered: A small, stable population adapted to a poor environment with rock gardens and kept building until contact;…Passed its tests and review.
Where it stands
Three answers have been proposed. A small, stable population adapted to a poor environment with rock gardens and kept building until contact;… leads, with evidence 4 for: supported by its tests. Two are still possible. Of the one narrower question under it, none is answered yet.
Answers 3
History
- Mulrooney: radiocarbon shows land use continuing across the island to contact.Against: Deforestation for statue transport and farming caused famine, warfare and a population crash in the…
- Stevenson et al.: land use shifted between regions over time rather than failing everywhere.For: A small, stable population adapted to a poor environment with rock gardens and kept building until contact;…
- Lipo et al.: mata'a are general tools, not weapons.Against: Deforestation for statue transport and farming caused famine, warfare and a population crash in the…
- Rull puts forward: deforestation for statue transport and farming caused famine, warfare and a population crash in the…
- Rull: the palm forest was removed over the centuries after settlement.For: Deforestation for statue transport and farming caused famine, warfare and a population crash in the…
- DiNapoli et al.: ahu construction continued after 1722.Against: Deforestation for statue transport and farming caused famine, warfare and a population crash in the…
- DiNapoli et al.: statue toppling dates mainly to after contact.For: A small, stable population adapted to a poor environment with rock gardens and kept building until contact;…
- Davis et al. puts forward: a small, stable population adapted to a poor environment with rock gardens and kept building until contact;…
- Davis et al.: rock gardens cover about 0.76 km², enough for about 3,000 people, so no large population existed.Against: Deforestation for statue transport and farming caused famine, warfare and a population crash in the…
- Moreno-Mayar et al.: fifteen ancient genomes show steady growth and no bottleneck in the 1600s.Against: Deforestation for statue transport and farming caused famine, warfare and a population crash in the…
- Moreno-Mayar et al.: genomes show no bottleneck and about 10 per cent Native American ancestry acquired about 1250–1430.For: A small, stable population adapted to a poor environment with rock gardens and kept building until contact;…
- Davis et al.: garden extent supports about 3,000 people, matching the contact-period population.For: A small, stable population adapted to a poor environment with rock gardens and kept building until contact;…
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