Editing History of Palau (section)

==Archaeology==
[[Carbon dating]] of cave burials show a [[pygmy]] population, presumably the result of [[insular dwarfism]], from at least 3,000, and perhaps as long as 4,500 years ago until about 900 years ago (1000–2500&nbsp;BC until ca. 1100&nbsp;AD).<ref>{{cite journal |title=Small-Bodied Humans from Palau, Micronesia |journal=[[PLoS ONE]] |date=March 2008 |volume=3 |issue=3 |pages=e1780 |doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0001780 |pmid=18347737 |pmc=2268239|bibcode=2008PLoSO...3.1780B |doi-access=free |last1=Berger |first1=Lee R. |last2=Churchill |first2=Steven E. |last3=De Klerk |first3=Bonita |last4=Quinn |first4=Rhonda L. |author1-link=Lee R. Berger}}</ref>

Evidence for early occupation in Palau comes from several loci scattered across the archipelago. Unfortunately, the earliest radiocarbon dates are not from clear contexts and thus provide little data on the early occupations. The earliest acceptable dates for Palau are from the 1st century and 2nd century A. D. Dates from the 1st and 5th century come from [[midden]] deposits on [[Kayangel]]. The earlier date is from [[tridacna]] shell from a deposit which may lie beneath the lowest cultural deposit. The shell is not associated with other artifacts and it is not clear if nearby artifacts are from a permanent occupation of the atoll. The 5th century date is associated with other artifacts, but it is still not clear if this part of the midden derives from a permanent occupation. In another study, Osborne obtained a date of A. D. 161 from excavations at the [[Badrulchau Site]]. The date is from a composite charcoal sample in a level under the stone pillar structure and apparently underlying the terracing on the hillside.<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal|last=United States.|date=1948|title=Report to the United Nations on the administration of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands|url=https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/000078292|journal=Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands.|series=Department of State publication.5735, 6243, etc.|pages=v}}</ref>

The construction and maintenance of [[Terrace (earthworks)|terraces]] on the volcanic islands appears to precede the formation of the formal, [[Nucleated village|nucleated]], settlements observed at European contact in 1783. Furthermore, there is evidence of an intensification in the construction of terraces at the start of the second millennium. At about the same time as intensification of terrace construction on the volcanic islands, evidence from the rock islands suggests an increasing nucleation of settlements.<ref name=":0" />

Although many terrace systems are found on the hills ringing the volcanic islands, and possibly even some terraces in the rock islands, it has proven difficult to obtain solid chronological data on these. The variety of different forms of terraces and special features associated with terraces such as “crown and brim " elaborations ” suggest that the terraces functioned in different ways. The location and organizational characteristics of habitations associated with terraces appear to have been, to some extent, different than that of the historic pattern of traditional villages in coastal areas. At present, information on associations between the terraces and earlier habitation sites is lacking. Radiocarbon dates associated with terracing range from 491 to 1810. Most of the dates associated with terraces fall between 895 and 1165. The most recent date, 1810, is from a shell [[midden]] eroding out of the face of a terrace; the midden was apparently buried in the continuing building of the terrace.<ref name=":0" />

The earliest date associated with cultural material from the rock islands is 620 from the [[Uchu larois Cave Site]], followed by three dates in the 630s from the Mariar Site on [[Ngeruktabel]] Island and the Ngidech Beach Site on [[Ulebsechel]] Island. Some of these middens, especially from the Uchularois Cave Site, contain large quantities of artifacts, suggesting that they are the result of the intensive exploitation of marine resources, [[shellfish]] in particular.<ref name=":0" />

Later data from rock island sites suggest important changes in the settlement system with the development of nucleated villages. Evidence from legends and the tight clustering of the radiocarbon dates suggests that the villages were abandoned abruptly early in the 15th century. However, there is evidence of continued exploitation of resources in the rock islands after the abandonment of the villages. There are five dates from rock island sites in clear association with structures, and these dates range from 1200 to 1420. These dates, together with the size and complexity of village sites in the rock islands, suggest that these villages were permanently occupied during this time. It is probable that permanently occupied villages developed before 1200. There are four dates from middens in rock island sites ranging from 1345 until 1950. These latter four dates are not in association with structures, however.<ref name=":0" />

The formation of the village systems observed historically appears to reflect a major transformation in Palauan society. The archaeological village sites on the volcanic islands are organized the same as the villages recorded historically by Keate (1789), [[Carl Semper|Semper]] (1873), Kubary (1889), and [[Augustin Kraemer|Krämer]] (1919). The recorded village sites consist of clusters of features indicating the integration of domestic and community activities. The large stone features recorded in village sites have specific historic references in the oral tradition of Palau. These facts suggest that the village organization we see today evolved in the 14th and 15th centuries. By the end of the 16th century, the social system we see reflected in modern villages was largely in place.<ref name=":0" />