Terry L. Hunt

Professor Terry Hunt focuses on human and environmental histories of the Pacific Islands, where he has conducted field research throughout the region for more than four decades. Dr. Hunt has conducted field research over the past two decades on Rapa Nui (Easter Island), where he has engaged many students in this work. His current field research collaboration continues on Rapa Nui and he works closely with the Native Rapanui community (Ma`u Henua). 

Dr. Hunt is the co-author of The Statues That Walked: Unraveling the Mystery of Easter Island, with Carl Lipo, which details Rapa Nui's archaeological history. The book won the Society for American Archaeology's Book of the Year award in the public audience category in 2011. Dr. Hunt's research was the focus of a National Geographic magazine cover story in July 2012 and a Nova-National Geographic TV documentary that first aired on PBS in November 2012. His work, together with his colleagues, continues to receive high profile coverage, including forthcoming television documentaries.

Dr. Hunt previously served as W.A. Franke Dean, University of Arizona. He previously served as Dean of the Clark Honors College, University of Oregon, and taught at University of Hawai`i-Manoa for 25 years. Dr. Hunt received his B.A. at University of Hawai`i-Hilo, M.A. at University of Auckland, and Ph.D. at University of Washington.

Selected Books:

2018:   The Oxford Handbook of Oceanic Prehistory, E.E. Cochrane, T.L. Hunt, Editors, Oxford University Press, Oxford.

2011:   The Statues that Walked: Unraveling the Mystery of Easter Island, T.L. Hunt, C.P. Lipo, Free Press, New York. 

Selected Articles:

2021:   “Approximate Bayesian computation of radiocarbon and paleoenvironmental record shows population resilience on Rapa Nui (Easter Island)” DiNapoli, R.J., Crema, E.R., Lipo, C.P., Rieth, T.M., Hunt, T.L.,  Nature Communications 12(1): 3939. 

"Population structure drives cultural diversity in finite populations: a hypothesis for localized community patterns on Rapa Nui (Easter Island, Chile)” Lipo, C.P., DiNapoli, R.J., Madsen, M., Hunt, T.L.,  PLoS ONE 16(5): e0250690.

            "Triumph of the Commons: Sustainable community practices on Rapa Nui (Easter Island)” DiNapoli, R.J., Lipo, C.P., Hunt, T.L., Sustainability 13(21).

"Thermal imaging shows submarine groundwater discharge plumes associated with ancient settlements on Rapa Nui (Easter Island, Chile)” DiNapoli, R.J., Lipo, C.P., de Smet, T.S., Hunt, T.L., Remote Sensing 13(13): 2531.
 

            "A model-based approach to the tempo of “collapse”: the case of Rapa Nui (Easter Island)" DiNapoli, R.J., Rieth, T., Lipo, C.P., Hunt, T.L.,  Journal of Archaeological Science. DOI: 10.1016/j.jas.2020.105094.

2019:    “Rapa Nui (Easter Island) monument (ahu) locations explained by freshwater sources” R.J. DiNapoli, C.P. Lipo, T. Brosnan, T.L. Hunt, S, W. Hixon, A.E. Morrison, M. Becker, PLOS-One 14(1): e0210409.

 “The Colossal Hats of Monumental Statues: An analysis of pukao variability on Rapa Nui (Easter Island): Analyses of pukao variability, transport, and emplacement” S.W. Hixon, C.P. Lipo, T.L. Hunt, C. Lee, Journal of Archaeological Science 100:148-157.

2017:   “Diet of the prehistoric population of Rapa Nui (Easter Island, Chile) shows environmental adaptation and resilience” C.L. Jarman, T. Larsen, T.L. Hunt, C.P. Lipo, R. Solsvik, N. Wallsgrove, C. Ka'apu-Lyons, H.G. Close, B.N. Popp, American Journal of Physical Anthropology 164(2): 343-361.

2016:      “Weapons of War? Rapa Nui Mata’a Morphometric Analyses” C.P. Lipo, T. L. Hunt, R. Horneman, V. Bonhomme, Antiquity 90 (349): 172-187

2012:  “The ‘walking’ megalithic statues of Easter Island” C.P. Lipo, T.L. Hunt, S. Rapu-Haoa, Journal of Archaeological Science 40:2859-2866.

2011:  “Easter Island’s complex history” (T.L. Hunt, C.P. Lipo), Nature 479:41.

            “The 13th century Polynesian colonization of Hawai’i Island” T.M. Rieth, T.L. Hunt, C. Lipo, J.M. Wilmshurst, Journal of Archaeological Science 38:2740-2749.

            “High-precision radiocarbon dating shows recent and rapid initial human colonization of East Polynesia” J. Wilmshurst, T. Hunt, C. Lipo, A. Anderson, Proceedings of the National Academy of Science 108 (5):1815-1820.

            “An analysis of stylistic variability in stemmed obsidian tools (mata`a) from Rapa Nui (Easter Island) using frequency seriation” C. Lipo, T. Hunt, B. Hundtoft, Journal of Archaeological Science 37: 2551-2561.

2009:   “Revisiting Rapa Nui (Easter Island) “Ecocide”” T.L. Hunt, C.P. Lipo, Pacific Science 63:601-616.

 2008:  “Evidence for a shorter chronology on Rapa Nui (Easter Island)” T.L. Hunt, C. P. Lipo, Journal of Island and Coastal Archaeology 3:140-148. 

2007:   “Chronology, deforestation, and “collapse:” Evidence vs. faith in Rapa Nui prehistory T.L. Hunt, C.P. Lipo, Rapa Nui Journal 21:85-97.

            “Human foraging and impacts to near shore environments: A case study from the Hawaiian Islands” A. Morrison, T.L. Hunt, Pacific Science 61:325-345.

             “Rethinking Easter Island’s ecological catastrophe” T.L. Hunt, Journal of Archaeological Science 34:485-502.

2006:   “Late colonization of Easter Island” T.L. Hunt, C.P. Lipo, Science 311: 1603-1606.

2006:   “Rethinking the fall of Easter Island: New evidence points to an alternative explanation for a civilization’s collapse.” T.L. Hunt American Scientist 94:412-419.

Selected Chapters in Books

 2021: “Temporal systematics: The Colonization of Rapa Nui and the conceptualization of time" C.P. Lipo, T.L. Hunt, R.J. DiNapoli, In M.F. Napolitano, J.H. Stone, and R.J. DiNapoli, Editors, The Archaeology of Island Colonization: Global Approaches to Initial Human Settlement, University Press of Florida, Gainesville, pp. 61-86.

 2020:  "Lessons from Rapa Nui (Easter Island, Chile) for governance in conditions of environmental uncertainty" Lipo, C.P., Mischen, P.A., Hunt, T.L., In J. Gluckler, G. Herrigel, M. Handke, Editors, Knowledge for Governance, Springer, pp. 25-49.

2017: “The last great migration: Human colonisation of the Remote Pacific Islands” T.L. Hunt, C.P. Lipo, In: N. Boivin, Crassard, R., and Petraglia, M.D., Editors, Human Dispersal and Species Movement - From Prehistory to the Present, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, pp. 194-216.

2016:  “Chronology and Easter Island Prehistory” C.P. Lipo, T.L. Hunt, In V. Stefan and G. Gill, Editors, The Skeletal Biology of Rapa Nui. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, pp. 39-65.

2015:  “An analysis of stylistic variability of stemmed obsidian tools (mata`a) on Rapa Nui (Easter Island)” (C. Lipo, T. Hunt, B. Hundtoft), In N. Goodale, Editor, Lithic Technological Systems and Evolutionary Theory. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, pp.225-238.

2013:   “The Human Transformation of Rapa Nui (Easter Island, Pacific Ocean)” T.L. Hunt and C.P. Lipo, In S. Larrue, Editor, Biodiversity and Societies in the Pacific Islands. Presses Universitaires de Provence, Collection “Confluent des Sciences” pp.167-184.

2009:   “Ecological catastrophe, collapse, and the myth of ‘ecocide’ on Rapa Nui (Easter Island)” T.L. Hunt, C.P. Lipo, In P.A. McAnany and N. Yoffee, Editors, Questioning Collapse: Human resilience, ecological vulnerability, and the aftermath of empireAn anthropological and environmental reader….. Cambridge University Press, pp. 21-44

Selected Courses:

World Archaeology (University of Arizona)

Environmental Archaeology (University of Arizona)

Special Topics in Archaeology: Field research; Rapa Nui

Pacific Islands Archaeology (University of Hawai`i)

Hawaiian Archaeology (University of Hawai`i)

Archaeological Theory (University of Hawai`i)

Current Projects

Rapa Nui archaeological history, environment, and sustainability

Rapa Nui archaeological documentation and heritage management