Ref ID:	31759
Ref Type:	Journal Article
Authors:	Welch, David J.
Title:	Archaeological and paleoenvironmental evidence of early settlement in Palau
Date:	2002
Source:	Bulletin of the Indo-Pacific Prehistory Association
Notes:	Proceedings of the 16th Congress of the Indo-Pacific Prehistory Association, Melaka, Malaysia, 1 to 7 July 1998.
Abstract:	Recent archaeological and paleoenvironmental investigations in Palau have produced radiocarbon dates for human presence far earlier than that reliably documented by previous research. Colonization of the islands certainly dates back at least 3,000 and perhaps over 4,000 years. Both paleoenvironmental and archaeological evidence indicates surprisingly early and extensive use of the upland areas of the main islands of Babeldaob. While each set of dates provides some confirmation of the other set, they are not completely in agreement in terms of the time of colonization or the form of adaptation to the island environment. This paper examines the context of these early dates and what they suggest in terms of the time of human settlement, the effect of early human settlement on the natural environment of Palau, and cultural change in Palau before 1500 years BP. An effort is made to correlate the paleoenvironmental and archaeological evidence to produce an acceptable early cultural sequence for Palau.
Date Created:	10/19/2003
Volume:	22
Page Start:	161
Page End:	173