Empirical Assessment of a Pre-European Societal Collapse on Rapa Nui (Easter Island)

Abstract

Leading archaeologists and popular writers have constructed narratives about pre-European societal collapse on Rapa Nui. The island is thought to have undergone a radical prehistoric shift towards anarchy as the island ecosystem was destroyed by overpopulation and environmental catastrophe. Elements of this story were first told by early 20th century ethnographers. In 1955, Thor Heyerdahl’s Norwegian Expedition added to the narrative by recovering archaeological data which they attributed to warfare and destruction. More recent authors have retold the account of prehistoric societal failure, and today Rapa Nui is often depicted as a model for world ecosystem disaster. Despite the popularity of this narrative, there is very little solid evidence that drastic societal change occurred prior to European contact. We review the evidence for pre-European societal collapse, and consider GIS-based methodologies for establishing the dynamic social and environmental landscape to enable the empirical evaluation of whether or not the narrative of Rapa Nui’s prehistoric demise is supported.