The evolution of competitive settlement strategies in Fijian prehistory : results of excavations and radiometric dating

A series of excavations were completed between June 2001 and March 2002 in the Fiji Islands. The goal of this research was to investigate the evolution of competitive settlement strategies in Fijian prehistory from an archaeological and evolutionary ecological perspective. Twelve sites were excavated and mapped in the Sigatoka Valley, located in the southwestern corner of the main island of Viti Levu. Excavations were focused on determining the chronology of fortifications in the region, and the collected samples were compared to expectations based on GIS-based analyses of land productivity and historical documents pertaining to late-period warfare. Over four hundred archaeological sites have been identified in the Sigatoka Valley, and of these roughly one-third are purely defensive in configuration, with no immediate access to water or arable land. The Waikato Archaeological Dating Fund provided four radiometric dates for three defensive sites, and one site associated with a production area. (author). 6 refs., 1 fig