The temporal occurrence and possible uses of obsidian mata'a on Rapa Nui (Easter Island, Chile)
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 6038543 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Christopher M Stevenson (0000-0002-3575-2363, Virginia Commonwealth University, corresponding author), Caitlin Williams (0000-0001-5182-1122, Virginia Commonwealth University) |
| Year | 2018 |
| Volume | 53 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 92-102 |
| Publication date | 2018-07-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Archaeology in Oceania/Archæology & physical anthropology in Oceania (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0728-4896 • E-ISSN: 1834-4453 |
| Publisher | Wiley (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1002/arco.5145 |
| OpenAlex | W2783941415 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 2 |
| References cited | 31 |
One of the more visible tools in the Rapa Nui archaeological record is a large flake modified to form a broad blade and tang. Referred to as mata'a, these implements have conventionally been interpreted as “spear points”, or weapons of war, which are proposed to have been made in large numbers during a period of internal conflict in the late seventeenth century. Obsidian hydration dating of 63 mata'a fragments from the southern coast of Rapa Nui indicates that their usage peaked in the sixteenth century, declined in frequency afterwards, and briefly spiked in the early AD 1700s. This non‐convergence with the period of warfare recorded in the oral history, and the decline in frequency of the tool within the lithic assemblage, argues for an alternative interpretation. The results of previous experimental archaeology focusing on tool breakage patterns and micro‐wear studies, coupled to island deforestation, suggests that the tool had a role to play in forest clearance
Archaeology · Art · Assemblage (archaeology · Biology · Blade (archaeology · Chronology · Deforestation (computer science · Flake · Geography · Period (music · Spear · Stone tool · Archaeology and ancient environmental studies · Geology and Paleoclimatology Research · History · Pacific and Southeast Asian Studies · Geology
The Survival of Easter Island
High-precision radiocarbon dating shows recent and rapid initial human colonization of East Polynesia
Late Colonization of Easter Island
The Evolution of Polynesian Chiefdoms
The use of summed radiocarbon probability distributions in archaeology
Protocols for laboratory hydration of obsidian, and their effect on hydration rate accuracy
Stemmed Tools, Social Interaction, and Voyaging in Early–Mid Holocene Papua New Guinea
Prehistoric Obsidian Exchange on Rapa Nui
Homogeneity of water content in obsidian from the coso volcanic field
Transient and equilibrium solubility of water in rhyolitic glass
Stylistic variability of stemmed obsidian tools (mata’a), frequency seriation, and the scale of social interaction on Rapa Nui (Easter Island)
Prehistoric settlement chronology on Rapa Nui, Chile
An island-wide assessment of the chronology of settlement and land use on Rapa Nui (Easter Island) based on radiocarbon data
Unexpected uses for obsidian
Obsidian hydration dating by infrared spectroscopy
Radiocarbon Date Frequency as an Index of Intensity of Paleolithic Occupation of Siberia
Extended 14 C Data Base and Revised Calib 3.0 14 C Age Calibration Program
The relativity of density
Obsidian procurement and consumption on Easter Island
Early Settlement of Rapa Nui (Easter Island)
Sourcing Rapa Nui mata'a from the collections of Bishop Museum using non-destructive pXRF
Dating Techniques for the Archaeologist
Weapons of war? Rapa Nui mata'a morphometric analyses
The Experimental Hydration of Obsidian as a Function of Relative Humidity and Temperature
| Unique citing works | 2 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0,33 |
| Citation span | 2020 - 2026 (7) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 2 |