Reidar Solsvik
Biographic Data
| ID | 133603 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Reidar Solsvik |
| GIVEN NAMES | Reidar |
| FAMILY NAME | Solsvik |
| SIGNATURE | SOLSVIK R |
| AFFILIATIONS | Norsk Teknisk Museum |
| ORCID | 0009-0003-0686-0474 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 5 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 7 |
| WORKS AS AUTHOR | 5 |
| WORKS AS EDITOR | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2010 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2025 |
| H-INDEX | 2 |
A Norwegian Viking in the World of Science
This article examines the reception of Thor Heyerdahl’s controversial theory on the settlement of Polynesia between 1937 and 1963. While Heyerdahl achieved global fame with the Kon-Tiki expedition of 1947, his most enduring impact lay in stimulating debate about ancient transoceanic migrations. Traditionally dismissed by scholars as implausible, his hypothesis challenged prevailing linguistic and archaeological models by emphasizing environmental…
Rapanui paddles and the bountiful sea
Rapanui paddles used in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries are unusual in that they are composite; their pararaha ‘blades’ are of a very particular shape that has no parallels on other Polynesian islands. Museum collections contain at least ten paddle blades collected in the late nineteenth century, all of them featuring a longitudinal upright that ends in a rounded bulge. The back side of the blade can be flat, slightly concave or carved wi…
Diet of the prehistoric population of Rapa Nui (Easter Island, Chile) shows environmental adaptation and resilience
OBJECTIVES: The Rapa Nui "ecocide" narrative questions whether the prehistoric population caused an avoidable ecological disaster through rapid deforestation and over-exploitation of natural resources. The objective of this study was to characterize prehistoric human diets to shed light on human adaptability and land use in an island environment with limited resources. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Materials for this study included human, faunal, and bo…
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 c…
Marae reflections
Based on archaeological data it is time to re‐evaluate the stratified chiefdom of the Leeward Society Islands. The model was constructed mainly on ethno‐historical/ethnological data and has been used extensively, and this social system has been projected back in time, sometimes maybe too far. The question that may be asked is: What happened during almost 1000 years of settlement in the Society Islands? Here we take as our starting point Irving Go…
Marae reflections
Based on archaeological data it is time to re‐evaluate the stratified chiefdom of the Leeward Society Islands. The model was constructed mainly on ethno‐historical/ethnological data and has been used extensively, and this social system has been projected back in time, sometimes maybe too far. The question that may be asked is: What happened during almost 1000 years of settlement in the Society Islands? Here we take as our starting point Irving Go…
Diet of the prehistoric population of Rapa Nui (Easter Island, Chile) shows environmental adaptation and resilience
OBJECTIVES: The Rapa Nui "ecocide" narrative questions whether the prehistoric population caused an avoidable ecological disaster through rapid deforestation and over-exploitation of natural resources. The objective of this study was to characterize prehistoric human diets to shed light on human adaptability and land use in an island environment with limited resources. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Materials for this study included human, faunal, and bo…
Marae reflections
Based on archaeological data it is time to re‐evaluate the stratified chiefdom of the Leeward Society Islands. The model was constructed mainly on ethno‐historical/ethnological data and has been used extensively, and this social system has been projected back in time, sometimes maybe too far. The question that may be asked is: What happened during almost 1000 years of settlement in the Society Islands? Here we take as our starting point Irving Go…
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 c…
Diet of the prehistoric population of Rapa Nui (Easter Island, Chile) shows environmental adaptation and resilience
OBJECTIVES: The Rapa Nui "ecocide" narrative questions whether the prehistoric population caused an avoidable ecological disaster through rapid deforestation and over-exploitation of natural resources. The objective of this study was to characterize prehistoric human diets to shed light on human adaptability and land use in an island environment with limited resources. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Materials for this study included human, faunal, and bo…
Rapanui paddles and the bountiful sea
Rapanui paddles used in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries are unusual in that they are composite; their pararaha ‘blades’ are of a very particular shape that has no parallels on other Polynesian islands. Museum collections contain at least ten paddle blades collected in the late nineteenth century, all of them featuring a longitudinal upright that ends in a rounded bulge. The back side of the blade can be flat, slightly concave or carved wi…
A Norwegian Viking in the World of Science
This article examines the reception of Thor Heyerdahl’s controversial theory on the settlement of Polynesia between 1937 and 1963. While Heyerdahl achieved global fame with the Kon-Tiki expedition of 1947, his most enduring impact lay in stimulating debate about ancient transoceanic migrations. Traditionally dismissed by scholars as implausible, his hypothesis challenged prevailing linguistic and archaeological models by emphasizing environmental…
Pacific and Southeast Asian Studies (5 works) · Archaeology (4 works) · Archaeology and ancient environmental studies (3 works) · Geography (3 works) · Island Studies and Pacific Affairs (3 works) · Art (2 works) · History (2 works) · Radiocarbon dating (2 works) · Archaeological evidence (1 work) · Asian American and Pacific Histories (1 work)