Geospatial modelling for predicting the ideal free settlement of Rapa: Predicting the ideal free settlement of Rapa

This paper describes a geospatial model that was developed to be the basis for applying models from human behavioural ecology (HBE). Specifically, the logic of the ideal free distribution (IFD) is narrowed and applied to the post-colonisation spread of intensive agriculture in order to predict the order and locations of its expansion. The island of Rapa, Austral Islands, is used to highlight the utility of this method. Rapa is an ideal location due to the prominent use of intensive irrigated taro agriculture and its role in explanations of the social development of territoriality on the island. The use of similar geospatial models has wider implications for island archaeology in furthering the understanding of diachronic settlement patterns.