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A Public Database of Archaeological Resources on Easter Island (Rapa Nui) Using Google Earth

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

Francisco Torres Hochstetter ,
Sergio Rapu Haoa ,
Carl P. Lipo  and
Terry L. Hunt
Francisco Torres Hochstetter
Affiliation:
Museo Antropológico P. Sebastián Englert, Tahai s/n, Isla de Pascua / Rapa Nui, Chile
Sergio Rapu Haoa
Affiliation:
Department of Anthropology, University of Hawai'i-Manoa, 2424 Maile Way Honolulu, HI 96822, USA
Carl P. Lipo
Affiliation:
Department of Anthropology and IIRMES, California State University Long Beach, 1250 Bellflower Blvd., Long Beach, CA 90840, USA (clipo@csulb.edu)
Terry L. Hunt
Affiliation:
Department of Anthropology, University of Hawai'i-Manoa, 2424 Maile Way Honolulu, HI 96822, USA
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Abstract

The archaeological record of Easter Island (Rapa Nui) has long captivated the public and archaeologists alike. The monumental statues (moai) are the most famous of the archaeological features of the island. Other aspects of the record, however, include platforms (ahu), statue (moai), transport roads, and a wide range of architectural features. Although large portions of the island have been surveyed as part of government-funded projects to document the archaeological record, there is yet no single publicly available and published source providing data on the composition and distribution of moai, ahu, or the many other architectural/artifact classes of the island. Here, we describe a project to build a publicly accessible archaeological database. Using the freely available Google Earthtm mapping service, which provides high-resolution color images of the earth’s surface, photographs, and data generated from recent surveys, we show how researchers can contribute to this database making the archaeological record freely available to everyone with an interest in the archaeology of Easter Island.

Resumen

Resumen

El registro arqueológico de Isla de Pascua (Rapa Nui) desde siempre ha cautivado por igual la imaginación del público y de los arqueólogos. Sus monumentales estatuas (moai) son el rasgo arqueológico más famoso y distintivo de la Isla. Sin embargo, otros elementos que forman parte de este registro son las plataformas (ahu), caminos de transporte de las estatuas (moai), y una amplia variedad de rasgos arquitectónicos. Pese a que grandes extensiones de la isla han sido prospectadas como parte de proyectos de documentación del registro arqueológico, financiados en su mayoría por organismos gubernamentales, aún no existe ni una sola fuente de información publicada o que esté disponible para consulta pública, con los datos sobre la distribución y caracterización de los moai, ahu o cualquiera de las otras clases de artefactos y estructuras arquitectónicas presentes en la Isla. Aquí se describe un proyecto de construcción de una base de datos arqueológica de acceso público. Utilizando el programa de distribución gratuita Google Earthtm mapping service—el cual provee imágenes satelitales a color de gran resolución de la superficie terrestre—e integrando fotografías y datos generados en prospecciones recientes, exponemos cómo los investigadores pueden contribuir a esta base de datos haciendo que el registro arqueológico sea de libre acceso a cualquiera que tenga interés en la arqueología de Isla de Pascua.

Type
Reports
Information
Latin American Antiquity , Volume 22 , Issue 3 , September 2011 , pp. 385 - 397
Copyright
Copyright ©2011 by the Society for American Archaeology.

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