Modelling human population change on Easter Island far-from-equilibrium

摘要

This paper builds on earlier published research suggesting that human settlement on Rapanui is best explained using far-from-equilibrium theory in the place of generally accepted near-equilibrium interpretations. Our initial competing hypothesis suggested that there have been as many as three periods of human population expansion and collapse on Rapanui. Human population dynamics of this kind imply the existence of a rapidly growing population that we seek to model in this paper using system dynamic modelling tools. Our modelling research represents an experimental test in the sense that we attempted to disprove that it was possible for population change of this kind to occur over such a short period of time. After carefully considering the results outlined in this paper we conclude that a far-from-equilibrium interpretation of this history is both feasible and likely.