Chronogeographic Variation in Initial East Polynesian Construction of Monumental Ceremonial Sites

In the orthodox model of change in East Polynesian material culture, the rise of monumental ceremonial sites is predicted as occurring earlier in the central archipelagos than at the margins. We have used existing and new radiocarbon dates from marae and ahu respectively to test this proposition in relation to the Society Islands and Easter Island (Rapa Nui). The data contradict the anticipated trend by showing that the initial phase of complex ceremonial sites began earlier, ca. cal AD 1300–1400 on Rapa Nui than in the Societies, ca. cal AD 1400–1600. Different explanations are canvassed. The sample size used here is still quite small; future investigations and larger sample sizes may change or confirm the results.