Coral 230 Th Dating of the Imposition of a Ritual Control Hierarchy in Precontact Hawaii
- 7 January 2005
- journal article
- other
- Published by American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in Science
- Vol. 307 (5706), 102-104
- https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1105432
Abstract
In proto-historic Hawaii (1500–1795 A.D.), as in many other evolving polities, temples functioned as centers for control over production and the extraction of surplus food and goods. Thorium-230 dates (uncertainty ± ∼10 years) on branch coral dedicatory offerings from temples in the Kahikinui district (Maui) indicate that its temple system was constructed within 60 years, far more rapidly than indicated by radiocarbon dating. Introduction of the temple system in 1580–1640 A.D. coincided with predatory expansion and consolidation of the Maui polity to form an incipient archaic state.Keywords
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