The Prehistoric Exploration and Colonisation of the Pacific

Irwin, Geoffrey

ISBN 10: 0521476518 / ISBN 13: 9780521476515

Published by Cambridge; Cambridge University Press; 1996 reprint, 1994

About this Item

paperback in very good condition; 240 pages, b/w maps.

Seller Inventory # 88428

Bibliographic Details

• Title: The Prehistoric Exploration and Colonisation of the Pacific
• Publisher: Cambridge; Cambridge University Press; 1996 reprint
• Publication Date: 1994
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0521476518
• ISBN 13: 9780521476515
• Binding: Soft cover
• Seller catalogs:
  • History and Politics - New Zealand and the Pacific

About this title

Synopsis

The exploration and colonization of the Pacific is a remarkable episode in human prehistory. Early sea-going explorers had no knowledge of Pacific geography, no instruments for measuring time and none for exploration. Forty years of modern archaeology, experimental voyages in rafts, and computer simulations of voyages have produced an normous range of literature on this controversial subject. This book represents a major advance in knowledge of the settlement of the Pacific by suggesting that exploration was rapid, purposeful and undertaken systematically, and that navigation methods progressively improved.

From the Back Cover

The exploration and colonisation of the Pacific is one of the most remarkable episodes of human prehistory. Early sea-going explorers had no prior knowledge of Pacific geography, no documents to record their route, no metal, no instruments for measuring time and none for navigation. This book, now in paperback, represents a major advance in knowledge of the settlement of the Pacific. Geoffrey Irwin uses an innovative model to establish a detailed theory of prehistoric navigation.