‘Coral houses’ are dotted throughout the Pacific. Now scientists know exactly when they were built

<https://theconversation.com/coral-houses-are-dotted-throughout-the-pacific-now-scientists-know-exactly-when-they-were-built-278893>

"The Mangareva Islands are about 1,600 kilometres southeast of Tahiti in French
Polynesia. They get their name (which means “floating mountains”) from the way
the sea spray breaking on the surrounding coral atolls, or motu, causes the
ancient volcanic peaks to appear as if they are floating above the waves.

Today, the islands are home to about 2,000 people, many of whom work on the
pearl farms in the idyllic turquoise lagoon. Dotted across the islands are the
remains of dozens of remarkable pieces of architecture: homes built from coral.

As part of a larger project studying the transformations of everyday life in
19th-century Mangareva, my archaeology research team has documented dozens of
these coral houses, including on the islands of Aukena, Akamaru, Mangareva and
Taravai.

Now, in a new paper published in the journal Antiquity, we have established
the first precise construction timeline for these coral houses.

The results reveal new patterns in how Pacific societies shaped their built
environment after European contact – and how that colonial legacy continues to
shape life today."

Cheers,
       *** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net               Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/                 Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/            Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/               Manager, Serious Cybernetics