Prehistoric agricultural production on Easter Island (Rapa Nui), Chile

A survey of the Easter Island landscape has resulted in the recognition of numerous lithic mulched household gardens and fields. It is proposed that lithic mulching was a technological innovation introduced to enhance the moisture retention capacity of the excessively drained island soils, and was a...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Antiquity 1999-12, Vol.73 (282), p.801-812
Main Authors: Stevenson, Christopher M., Wozniak, Joan, Haoa, Sonia
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Agricultural production
agriculture
Agriculture, Prehistoric
America and Arctic regions
Archaeology
Ceramic cultures
Chile
Easter Island
environment
Ethnography
Ethnology
field-systems
Gardens
Irrigation
Lithics
Polynesia
Polynesian languages
Population increase
Prehistoric agriculture
Prehistoric era
Prehistory
Prehistory and protohistory
Resource management
social hierarchy
Social stratification
Soils
South America
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Summary:A survey of the Easter Island landscape has resulted in the recognition of numerous lithic mulched household gardens and fields. It is proposed that lithic mulching was a technological innovation introduced to enhance the moisture retention capacity of the excessively drained island soils, and was an innovation incorporated into élite managed field systems which arose in the early 15th century to meet the demands for surplus production.
ISSN:0003-598X
1745-1744
DOI:10.1017/S0003598X00065546