A critical review of radiocarbon dates clarifies the human settlement of Madagascar

QUATERNARY SCIENCE REVIEWS

卷:221

Review

Douglass, Kristina^1,2  Hixon, Sean³  Wright, Henry T.⁴  Godfrey, Laurie R.⁵  Crowley, Brooke E.^6,7  Manjakahery, Barthelemy⁸  Rasolondrainy, Tanambelo¹  Crossland, Zoe⁹  Radimilahy, Chantal¹⁰ 

[1] Penn State Univ, Dept Anthropol, 413 Carpenter Bldg, University Pk, PA 16802 USA

[2] Penn State Univ, Inst Energy & Environm, 413 Carpenter Bldg, University Pk, PA 16802 USA

[3] Univ Calif Santa Barbara, Dept Anthropol, Santa Barbara, CA 93106 USA

[4] Univ Michigan, Museum Anthropol Anthropol, 3010 Sch Educ,610 E Univ Ave, Ann Arbor, MI 48109 USA

[5] Univ Massachusetts, Dept Anthropol, 217 Machmer Hall,240 Hicks Way, Amherst, MA 01003 USA

[6] Univ Cincinnati, Dept Geol, 500 Geol Phys Bldg,POB 210013, Cincinnati, OH 45221 USA

[7] Univ Cincinnati, Dept Anthropol, 481 Braunstein Hall,POB 210380, Cincinnati, OH 45221 USA

[8] Univ Toliara, Ctr Documentat & Rech Art & Tradit Orales Madagas, Toliara, Madagascar

[9] Columbia Univ, Dept Anthropol, 1200 Amsterdam Ave, New York, NY 10027 USA

[10] Univ Antananarivo, Musee Art & Archeol, Isoraka, Madagascar

关键词: Quaternary;    Archaeology;    Paleogeography;    Madagascar;    Indian Ocean;    Radiogenic isotopes;    Island colonization;    Extinction;   

DOI  :  10.1016/j.quascirev.2019.105878

来源: Elsevier

【 摘 要 】

The timing of the human settlement of Madagascar, one of the last large landmasses to be settled by people, remains a key topic of debate in archaeology. Despite decades of research, recent estimates for initial settlement are increasingly divergent and span ca. 9000 years: the widest colonization window for any island within the reliable range of radiocarbon (C-14) dating. C-14 dating of archaeological sites and remains of butchered animals provide important evidence of when the island was first settled, but the reliability of these dates requires critical evaluation. Applying principles of chronometric hygiene, we present the first systematic review of Madagascar's C-14 chronology to clarify the island's settlement. Our findings support human presence by at least 2000 cal BP and suggest that an Early Holocene arrival is possible. The nature of such an early presence on the island, however, remains elusive due to a lack of contextual information. (C) 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

【 授权许可】

Free