New evidence of one of the first cities in the Pacific shows they were established much earlier than previously thought, according to research from The Australian National University (ANU). The study used aerial laser scanning to map archaeological sites on the island of Tongatapu in Tonga. “Earth structures were being constructed in Tongatapu around AD 300 -- 700 years earlier than previously thought,” said the Lead author, PhD scholar Phillip Parton.
You are here
Results for Phillip Parton
Thursday 11 April 2024
Canberra, Australia
Monday 21 November 2022
Nuku'alofa, Tonga
Pacific island nations suffered severe depopulation from introduced diseases as a consequence of contact with European vessels, a new study from The Australian National University (ANU) shows. Researchers Phillip Parton and Prof. Geoffrey Clark found that Tongatapu had a population decline of between 70 and 86 per cent once Europeans made contact and introduced new pathogens.