Radiocarbon Dates from American Samoa

Abstract

Between 1988 and 1991, I directed five archaeological research projects in American Samoa. The goal of that research was to reveal changes in the prehistoric settlement system of Samoa, from initial colonization of the archipelago to the time of significant European contact. The chronological placement of key sites was an essential facet of the research. A secondary goal was to locate sites with ceramic components, particularly sites with Lapita ceramics, and relate the ceramic assemblages typologically and chronologically to those known for Western Samoa. These investigations generated 16 14C dates from archaeological contexts. I present here the previously unpublished 14C data from those samples, and briefly summarize their importance for understanding Samoan prehistory.