Paleo-Terrain Research: Finding the First Settlement Sites of Remote Oceania

A paleo-terrain approach can situate ancient sites within their original landscape settings, as illustrated in a case study of the Mariana Islands in the western Pacific. This example combines computer-aided terrain modeling with site-specific excavations to reconstruct the shapes and configurations of landforms during the period of first human settlement of Remote Oceania, 1500-1000 B.C. The results support new understanding of humanity's first contact with the Remote Oceanic environment. The same approach can be applied in other settings to advance programs of site-discovery and general studies of ancient site settings and ecology.