Hundreds of monumental stone heads dot the coastline of the remote Pacific island of Rapa Nui, or Easter Island. Settled by a small group of Polynesian seafarers about 900 years ago, it’s a fascinating place that has been the subject of fierce debate about how complex societies can sometimes ruinously fail.
“What we use in this paper is called shortwave infrared imagery,” Davis said, “and it’s really good at picking up on very subtle differences in moisture content and mineralogical changes in the soil.” The researchers found that rock gardens, identifiable by patterns of vegetation and soil composition, covered about three-quarters of 1 square kilometer , and rock garden cultivation alone would only have supported around 2,000 people.
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