Mike T. Carson (Ph.D. in
Anthropology, University of Hawaii, 2002) investigates archaeological and
palaeo-landscapes throughout the Asia-Pacific region. He currently is Associate Professor of
Archaeology at the Richard F. Taitano Micronesian Area Research Center (MARC),
University of Guam, and he is co-editor of Asian
Perspectives: The Journal of Archaeology for Asia and the Pacific,
published by University of Hawaii Press.

Part one: Parameters of
study

Chapter 1: Landscape
evolution as natural-cultural history

Evolution of an inhabited
landscape

The Marianas landscape as a
model system

Structure and content of
this book

References

Chapter 2: Global
applicability of landscape evolution

Coastal China

California

Hawaiian Islands

Mariana Islands

References

Chapter 3: Environmental
setting and dynamics

Geological structure

Sea-level history

Coastal geomorphology

Slope erosion-deposition
patterns

Soil formation

Plant and animal communities

Climate and weather

Water sources

References

Chapter 4: Marianas
archaeology in local and regional perspectives

Marianas settlement in
Asia-Pacific context

Foundations of Chamorro
heritage

References

Chapter 5: Coordinating perspectives
of the past

Historical perspectives

Linguistics

Human biology and genetics

Faunal records

Botanical records

References

Chapter 6: Range of
archaeological material culture

Artefacts

Midden

Structural features

Rock art

Caves

Landscapes

References

Part Two: Chronological
sequence

Chapter 7: Building an
archaeological chronology

Use of radiocarbon dating

Marianas chronological
outline

References

Chapter 8: 1500-1100 B.C.,
initial settlement

Site inventory and dating

Landforms

Resource zones

Material culture

Regional context

References

Chapter 9: 1100-700 B.C.,
changing coastlines

Site inventory and dating

Landforms

Resource zones

Material culture

Regional context

References

Chapter 10: 700 B.C.-A.D. 1,
broadened horizons

Site inventory and dating

Landforms

Resource zones

Material culture

Regional context

References

Chapter 11: A.D. 1-500,
temporary stability

Site inventory and dating

Landforms

Resource zones

Material culture

Regional context

References

Chapter 12: A.D. 500-1000,
sustained use of coastal and inland zones

Site inventory and dating

Landforms

Resource zones

Material culture

Regional context

References

Chapter 13: A.D. 1000-1700,
a sea of islands and monuments

Site inventory and dating

Landforms

Resource zones

Material culture

Regional context

References

Chapter 14: A.D.
1700-Present, living with colonialism and globalisation

Site inventory and dating

Landforms

Resource zones

Material culture

Regional context

References

Part Three: Pursuing
research questions

Chapter 15: First inhabiting
of a landscape

Human migration into a new
landscape

Initial inhabiting of a
landscape

Origins of landscape
evolution

References

Chapter 16: Long-term
human-environment relations

Geology and landforms

Climate

Sea level and coastal
ecology

Water sources

Plant and animal populations

Patterns of residence and
resource use

Material culture

Continuity and change

References

Chapter 17: Future
directions

Landscapes have been fundamental
to the human experience world-wide and throughout time, yet how did we as human
beings evolve or co-evolve with our landscapes?
By answering this question, we can understand our place in the complex,
ever-changing world that we inhabit.

This
book guides readers on a journey through the concurrent processes of change in
an integrated natural-cultural history of a landscape. While outlining the general principles for
global application, a richly illustrated case is offered through the Mariana
Islands in the northwest tropical Pacific and furthermore situated in a larger
Asia-Pacific context for a full comprehension of landscape evolution at
variable scales. The author examines what
happened during the first time when human beings encountered the world's Remote
Oceanic environment in the Mariana Islands about 3500 years ago, followed by a
continuous sequence of changing sea level, climate, water resources, forest
composition, human population growth, and social dynamics. This book provides a high-resolution and
long-term view of the complexities of landscape evolution that affect all of us
today.