An Epic Adventure?

Abstract

First settlement of the Mariana Islands by 1500 B.C. constituted the longest ocean-crossing of its time in human history, surely one of the greatest adventures and achievements of humankind. These findings prompt many questions about how the remote-distance voyage was possible, what motivated the journey, and how people could have survived in the new conditions where no other human beings had lived previously. These questions do not all find clear answers in the available evidence, but each can be considered to different reasonable extent. Important distinctions are drawn between voyages of island-discovery versus voyages of permanent settlement by a population. Additional distinctions are drawn between the hardships of long-distance voyaging versus the challenges of establishing a healthy community in a strange and distant land.