Ancient Pacific City Discovered: Urbanization Began 700 Years Earlier Than Thought

Recent research reveals that Pacific cities like those on Tongatapu in Tonga were founded around AD 300, much earlier than thought, demonstrating that Pacific urbanization was an indigenous innovation. The study highlights the significant role of technology in archaeological discoveries and the impact of European colonization on these early cities.

New findings from the Australian National University (ANU) indicate that some of the earliest cities in the Pacific were established much earlier than previously believed. The research involved using aerial laser scanning to map archaeological sites on the island of Tongatapu in Tonga.

Lead author, PhD scholar Phillip Parton, said the new timeline also indicates that urbanization in the Pacific was an indigenous innovation that developed before Western influence.