What’s geography got to do with it? A networked, agent-based model of exchange in Polynesia
Channel: Recording Archaeology
Date: 2019-10-03

Ancestral Polynesians settled the widely-dispersed islands of the Pacific Ocean through a series of purposeful voyages of discovery. These discoveries were followed by periods of maritime interaction, demonstrated by the presence of exotic stone artefacts in archaeological assemblages. It is often assumed that the presence of these exotic materials is evidence of exchange relationships between islands or island groups. Here we present on work simulating exchange across a spatial network in the central Pacific Ocean, with the goal of understanding how patterns in the distribution of lithic material sources might be influenced by the geography of the oceanic environment. First, a network between islands is generated where connections are mediated by geographic criteria (e.g. distance, size). Agents then move between points in the network, obtaining raw material at rocky islands and relocating it according to a neutral model of distribution. Results from the simulation demonstrate how frequencies of sources represented in archaeological assemblages can be approximated using a minimal set of constraints on networks, providing a set of baselines which can be used to assess any preferential exchange relationships. Recommendations are made for future work incorporating temporal changes in assemblage composition and the sailing environment.

(Benjamin Davies)