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      The invention of writing on Rapa Nui (Easter Island). New radiocarbon dates on the Rongorongo script

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          Abstract

          Placing the origin of an undeciphered script in time is crucial to understanding the invention of writing in human history. Rapa Nui, also known as Easter Island, developed a script, now engraved on fewer than 30 wooden objects, which is still undeciphered. Its origins are also obscure. Central to this issue is whether the script was invented before European travelers reached the island in the eighteenth century AD. Hence direct radiocarbon dating of the wood plays a fundamental role. Until now, only two tablets were directly dated, placing them in the nineteenth c. AD, which does not solve the question of independent invention. Here we radiocarbon-dated four Rongorongo tablets preserved in Rome, Italy. One specimen yielded a unique and secure mid-fifteenth c. date, while the others fall within the nineteenth c. AD. Our results suggest that the use of the script could be placed to a horizon that predates the arrival of external influence.

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          Bayesian Analysis of Radiocarbon Dates

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            SHCal20 SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE CALIBRATION, 0–55,000 YEARS CAL BP

            Early researchers of radiocarbon levels in Southern Hemisphere tree rings identified a variable North-South hemispheric offset, necessitating construction of a separate radiocarbon calibration curve for the South. We present here SHCal20, a revised calibration curve from 0–55,000 cal BP, based upon SHCal13 and fortified by the addition of 14 new tree-ring data sets in the 2140–0, 3520–3453, 3608–3590 and 13,140–11,375 cal BP time intervals. We detail the statistical approaches used for curve construction and present recommendations for the use of the Northern Hemisphere curve (IntCal20), the Southern Hemisphere curve (SHCal20) and suggest where application of an equal mixture of the curves might be more appropriate. Using our Bayesian spline with errors-in-variables methodology, and based upon a comparison of Southern Hemisphere tree-ring data compared with contemporaneous Northern Hemisphere data, we estimate the mean Southern Hemisphere offset to be 36 ± 27 14 C yrs older.
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              A revolutionary graphitisation system: Fully automated, compact and simple

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                Author and article information

                Contributors
                s.ferrara@unibo.it
                sahra.talamo@unibo.it
                Journal
                Sci Rep
                Sci Rep
                Scientific Reports
                Nature Publishing Group UK (London )
                2045-2322
                2 February 2024
                2 February 2024
                2024
                : 14
                : 2794
                Affiliations
                [1 ]Department of Classical Philology and Italian Studies, Alma Mater Studiorum, University of Bologna, ( https://ror.org/01111rn36) Via Zamboni 32, 40126 Bologna, Italy
                [2 ]Department of Chemistry G. Ciamician, Alma Mater Studiorum, University of Bologna, ( https://ror.org/01111rn36) Via Selmi 2, 40126 Bologna, Italy
                [3 ]Institute for Environmental Physics, University of Heidelberg, ( https://ror.org/038t36y30) 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
                [4 ]Laboratory for Ion Beam Physics, ETH Zurich, ( https://ror.org/05a28rw58) 8093 Zurich, Switzerland
                [5 ]Hohenheim Gardens, University of Hohenheim, ( https://ror.org/00b1c9541) 70599 Stuttgart, Germany
                [6 ]GRID grid.6292.f, ISNI 0000 0004 1757 1758, Alma Mater Studiorum, , Università di Bologna-Ravenna Scientific Campus SCoRe, ; 48121 Ravenna, Italy
                [7 ]Department of Computer, Control and Management Engineering Antonio Ruberti (DIAG), Sapienza University of Rome, ( https://ror.org/02be6w209) 00185 Rome, Italy
                [8 ]Department of Civil, Constructional and Environmental Engineering (DICEA), Sapienza University of Rome, ( https://ror.org/02be6w209) 00184 Rome, Italy
                Article
                53063
                10.1038/s41598-024-53063-7
                10837134
                38307972
                07d4f86b-68f8-4240-8188-c7e0c2cbdfd7
                © The Author(s) 2024

                Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article's Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article's Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.

                History
                : 21 August 2023
                : 27 January 2024
                Funding
                Funded by: FundRef http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100000781, European Research Council;
                Award ID: 771127
                Award ID: 803147
                Award Recipient :
                Categories
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                © Springer Nature Limited 2024

                Uncategorized
                anthropology,archaeology,cultural evolution
                Uncategorized
                anthropology, archaeology, cultural evolution

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