See Island at the End of the World’ Review: Faces of Rapa Nui: European explorers landed on Easter Island in the 18th century. Disease and emigration soon followed by Adam Kuper. He is a fellow of the British Academy. He reviewed the book Island at the Edge of the World: The Forgotten History of Easter Island by Mike Pitts. Excerpt:
"Mr. Pitts summarizes the new apocalyptic parable that emerged: “Society collapsed in a fit of war and cannibalism.” Some commentators, such as Jared Diamond, the author of the popular “Guns, Germs, and Steel” (1997), saw a deeper meaning: Could this be our own future if we don’t take care?
Scientists have since established that the degradation of the island was in fact gradual, taking centuries, caused largely by drought, volcanic eruptions and the arrival of the Polynesian rat. Ancient skeletons show no sign of injuries due to war or cannibalism. Mr. Pitts dismisses this ecocide narrative and places the blame for environmental degradation where it belongs: with colonial intruders."
Related posts:
The Mysterious 'Ecocide' Collapse of Easter Island Never Really Happened
The truth about Easter Island: a sustainable society has been falsely blamed for its own demise
Was Easter Island (Rapa Nui) The Victim Of Ecocide? Maybe Not
Resilience, not collapse: What the Easter Island myth gets wrong
New evidence upends contentious Easter Island theory, scientists say
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