Theory

The Pre-Contact Independent Invention Theory

The view that rongorongo was invented on Rapa Nui before any European contact, as one of the small number of times writing is known to have been invented independently rather than borrowed; supported by 2024 radiocarbon dating of one surviving tablet to 1493-1509.

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Theories & Explanations

The Post-Contact Stimulus Diffusion Theory
The Pre-Contact Independent Invention Theory contradicts The Post-Contact Stimulus Diffusion Theory — 2024 radiocarbon dating of one surviving tablet (Tablet D, Echancree) to 1493-1509 predates the 1770 contact by over two centuries, though only one of the roughly 27 surviving objects has been directly dated so far.

Science & Technology

Rongorongoin use by at least the 15th–19th centuries AD
The Pre-Contact Independent Invention Theory attempts to explain Rongorongo.

Explored on these pages

What Is Rongorongo, and Why Has No One Ever Deciphered It?

What rongorongo is: Easter Island's undeciphered script, why so few tablets survive, and whether it predates European contact or was inspired by it.