- Prehistory, Southeast Asia, Archaeology, China, Southeast Asian Archaeology, Taiwan Archaeology, and 24 moreChinese archaeology, Archaeology of the Philippines, Vietnamese Archaeology, JADE ARCHAEOLOGY, Neolithic Transition, Early Neolithic, Ancient Maritime Trade Routes, Ancient human migrations, Pacific and Island Southeast Asian Archaeology, Prehistoric Southeast Asian Archaeology, Origins of Agriculture, Neolithic, Neolithic Archaeology, Prehistoric Archaeology, Taiwan, Austronesian, East Asian Studies, Early Iron Age, South China Sea, Oc Eo culture, Ancient DNA (Archaeology), Ancient DNA Research, Palaeoanthropology, and Ancient DNAedit
Increases in population size are associated with the adoption of Neolithic agricultural practices in many areas of the world, but rapid population growth within the Dingsishan cultural group of southern China pre-dated the arrival of rice... more
Increases in population size are associated with the adoption of Neolithic agricultural practices in many areas of the world, but rapid population growth within the Dingsishan cultural group of southern China pre-dated the arrival of rice and millet farming in this area. In this article, the authors identify starch grains from taros (Colocasia) and yams (Dioscorea) in dental calculus and on food-processing tools from the Dingsishan sites of Huiyaotian and Liyupo (c. 9030-6741 BP). They conclude that the harvesting and processing of these dietary staples supported an Early Holocene population increase in southern East Asia, before the spread of rice and millet farming.
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The global significance of archaeology in Island Southeast Asia has been recognized as central for understanding the diversity of ancient hominins, the evolution of modern humans, and the spread of Austronesian languages and cultures. It... more
The global significance of archaeology in Island Southeast Asia has been recognized as central for understanding the diversity of ancient hominins, the evolution of modern humans, and the spread of Austronesian languages and cultures. It also illustrates multiple layers of migration, mobility of peoples from different ethnic backgrounds, and an emergence through trade into the Eurasian world system of the past two millennia. This entry introduces significant archaeological discoveries in Island Southeast Asia, dating from 1.5 million years ago through the early centuries CE.
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The selection of a non-shattering phenotype is a pivotal change in the process of rice domestication. However, current research is heavily restricted by the preservation conditions of macro-plant remains in early and middle Neolithic... more
The selection of a non-shattering phenotype is a pivotal change in the process of rice domestication. However, current research is heavily restricted by the preservation conditions of macro-plant remains in early and middle Neolithic sites, as very limited well-preserved rice spikelet bases could be retrieved. We present a nondestructive method based on micro-computed tomographic (CT) scanning, which could provide detailed
visualization of the internal structures of charred spikelet bases and efficiently discriminate the shattering and non-shattering phenotypes of rice spikelet bases according to the abundance of FUSIFORM ECHINATE phytoliths. It could be widely applied in different contexts, especially those poorly preserved specimens and tempers in pottery sherds, greatly improving our knowledge of rice domestication.
visualization of the internal structures of charred spikelet bases and efficiently discriminate the shattering and non-shattering phenotypes of rice spikelet bases according to the abundance of FUSIFORM ECHINATE phytoliths. It could be widely applied in different contexts, especially those poorly preserved specimens and tempers in pottery sherds, greatly improving our knowledge of rice domestication.
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The global spice trade has played an essential role in world history. However, because of poor preservation conditions, archaeobotanical remains of spices have been limited in archaeological contexts until now. This study reports evidence... more
The global spice trade has played an essential role in world history. However, because of poor preservation conditions, archaeobotanical remains of spices have been limited in archaeological contexts until now. This study reports evidence for spice processing from the archaeological site of Oc Eo in southern Vietnam, an entrepôt of the state of Funan that was occupied during the early centuries CE. Analysis of plant microremains recovered from the surfaces of Oc Eo grinding stone tools thought to be of South Asian origin has identified culinary spices that include turmeric, ginger, fingerroot, sand ginger, galangal, clove, nutmeg, and cinnamon. These spices are indispensable ingredients used in the making of curry in South Asia today. We suggest that South Asian migrants or visitors introduced this culinary tradition into Southeast Asia during the period of early trade contact via the Indian Ocean, commencing about 2000 years ago.
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Taiwan is known as the homeland of the Austronesian-speaking groups, yet other populations already had lived here since the Pleistocene. Conventional notions have postulated that the Palaeolithic hunter-gatherers were replaced or absorbed... more
Taiwan is known as the homeland of the Austronesian-speaking groups, yet other populations already had lived here since the Pleistocene. Conventional notions have postulated that the Palaeolithic hunter-gatherers were replaced or absorbed into the Neolithic Austronesian farming communities. Yet, some evidence has indicated that sparse numbers of non-Austronesian individuals continued to live in the remote mountains as late as the 1800s. The cranial morphometric study of human skeletal remains unearthed from the Xiaoma Caves in eastern Taiwan, for the first time, validates the prior existence of small stature hunter-gatherers 6000 years ago in the preceramic phase. This female individual shared remarkable cranial affinities and small stature characteristics with the Indigenous Southeast Asians, particularly the Negritos in northern Luzon. This study solves the several-hundred-years-old mysteries of ‘little black people’ legends in Formosan Austronesian tribes and brings insights into the broader prehistory of Southeast Asia.
open access: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00438243.2022.2121315
open access: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00438243.2022.2121315
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Research has generally outlined that the Neolithic East Asian farmers expanded into Southeast Asia, leading to substantial social and cultural transformations. However, the associated archaeobotanical evidence until now has been... more
Research has generally outlined that the Neolithic East Asian farmers expanded into Southeast Asia, leading to substantial social and cultural transformations. However, the associated archaeobotanical evidence until now has been insufficient to clarify the exact timing, dispersal route, and farming package of the emergence of agriculture in Mainland Southeast Asia. To clarify these issues, the micro-plant remains of phytolith and starch from three Neolithic sites in Ha Long Bay were extracted and analyzed. This study validates the earliest evidence of co-cropping in northern Vietnam, involving the cultivation of rice together with foxtail millet at 4000 years BP or slightly earlier. Moreover, the results indicate that at least two patterns of subsistence strategy were practiced simultaneously during the initial farming phase in the region. The Trang Kenh people, a regional variant of the Phung Nguyen cultural group often have been seen as the first farmers in northern Vietnam, and they mainly practiced a cereal-based subsistence strategy with more vital cultural characteristics of southern China origin. Meanwhile, the Ha Long people, mainly composed of indigenous hunter-gatherer descendants, continued to utilize a wide range of their preferred plant resources such as taros, yams, and acorns, while they absorbed and incorporated new elements such as millet and rice into their food system. This study provides solid information to understand the diverse economic systems among different cultural groups in Vietnam.
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The most westerly Pacific island chain, running from Taiwan southwards through the Philippines, has long been central in debates about the origins and early migrations of Austronesian-speaking peoples from the Asian mainland into the... more
The most westerly Pacific island chain, running from Taiwan southwards through the Philippines, has long been central in debates about the origins and early migrations of Austronesian-speaking peoples from the Asian mainland into the islands of Southeast Asia and Oceania. Focusing on the Cagayan Valley of northern Luzon in the Philippines, the authors combine new and published radiocarbon dates to underpin a revised culture-historical synthesis. The results speak to the initial contacts and long-term relationships between Indigenous hunter-gatherers and immigrant Neolithic farmers, and the question of how the early speakers of Malayo-Polynesian languages spread into and through the Philippines.
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This study presents the first directly dated physical evidence of crop remains from the Early Neolithic archaeological layers in Taiwan. Systematic sampling and analysis of macro-plant remains suggested that Neolithic farmers at the... more
This study presents the first directly dated physical evidence of crop remains from the Early Neolithic archaeological layers in Taiwan. Systematic sampling and analysis of macro-plant remains suggested that Neolithic farmers at the Zhiwuyuan (Botanical Garden) site in Taipei, northern Taiwan, had cultivated rice and foxtail millet together at least 4,500 years ago. A more comprehensive review of all related radiocarbon dates suggests that agriculture emerged in Taiwan around 4,800-4,600 cal. BP, instead of the previous claim of 5,000 cal. BP. According to the rice grain metrics from three study sites of Zhiwuyuan, Dalongdong, and Anhe, the rice cultivated in northern and western-central Taiwan was mainly a short-grained type of the japonica subspecies, similar to the discoveries from the southeast coast of mainland China and the middle Yangtze valley. These new findings support the hypothesis that the southeast coast of mainland China was the origin of proto-Austronesian people who brought their crops and other cultural traditions across the Taiwan Strait 4,800 years ago and eventually farther into Island Southeast Asia.
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Mainland Southeast Asia experienced a long, sustained period of foraging economy before rice and millet farming spread into this area prior to 4,000 years BP. Although hundreds of individuals from dense cemeteries are found in several... more
Mainland Southeast Asia experienced a long, sustained period of foraging economy before rice and millet farming spread into this area prior to 4,000 years BP. Although hundreds of individuals from dense cemeteries are found in several hunter-gatherer sites in Guangxi, Southern China, and Northern Vietnam, dating from the early to middle Holocene (ca. 9,000-4,500 years BP), so far, little has been known about food sources in these prefarming contexts. In particular, plant food resources have been unclear, although they likely were crucial to supporting rather large populations of hunter-gatherers in this region. To investigate this issue, micro plant remains, including starches and phytoliths, were recovered from stone tools excavated at the Cai Beo site in Ha Long Bay of coastal Northeastern Vietnam, and those findings revealed new understanding of the ancient diet. Examinations of those residues indicated that the hunter-gatherers at Cai Beo as early as 7,000-6,000 years BP exploited a broad spectrum of plants, such as taros, yams, acorns, palms, and more. This study exemplifies how maritime hunter-gatherers interfaced with the local plants and generated population growth from about 7,000 to 4,500 years BP. The results help us to conceptualize the early exploitation, management, and potential cultivation of subtropical and tropical plants over the broad geography of Asia and the Pacific before the arrival of rice and millet farming. In particular, the result validates the significance of roots and tubers in the ancient subsistence economy of Southeast Asia. Moreover, from the archaeological context of 4,500 to 4,000 years BP, the rice discovered in this study represents one of the earliest known in Mainland Southeast Asia.
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This article was published as part of a special issue titled ‘In The Memoriam: Robert Blust, 1940-2022.’
https://taiwaninsight.org/2022/02/25/a-great-linguist-with-a-scientific-mind-and-poets-soul-in-memory-of-professor-robert-blust/
https://taiwaninsight.org/2022/02/25/a-great-linguist-with-a-scientific-mind-and-poets-soul-in-memory-of-professor-robert-blust/
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At Serutu Island, a recently discovered stone inscription refers to an unusual voyage of the Mongol troop dispatched by Kublai Khan to conquer Java. This article reports the content of this intriguing inscription, as a way to reconstruct... more
At Serutu Island, a recently discovered stone inscription refers to an unusual voyage of the Mongol troop dispatched by Kublai Khan to conquer Java. This article reports the content of this intriguing inscription, as a way to reconstruct the 4000-km-long journey of the Mongol fleet composed of 500 ships, led by the General SHI Bi and the Uyghur navigator IKE Mese, from Quanzhou to Java in CE 1293. We contextualize this event in relation with the Mongol Empire in China, the Singhasari Kingdom in Java, and the cultural history of the indigenous islanders in the Karimata Archipelago.
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When people first lived in remote tropical seashores, they developed novel adaptations for living in these extreme environments, including the use of a specialised octopus lure device. The evidence for this fishing tradition now can be... more
When people first lived in remote tropical seashores, they developed novel adaptations for living in these extreme environments, including the use of a specialised octopus lure device. The evidence for this fishing tradition now can be traced back as early as 1500–1100 BC in the Mariana Islands of Western Micronesia. New research has examined the artefacts of these compound lure devices, especially concerning the cut and drilled dorsum pieces of cowrie (Cypraea spp.) shells. Without this archaeological evidence, octopuses would have been undetected in the ancient deposits, and therefore a significant portion of past diet, innovative technology, and traditional practice would have been hidden from modern knowledge. The findings portray a broader and more realistic scene of ancient coastal communities, with implications beyond the confines of the specific island societies of the Pacific.
https://doi.org/10.1080/00438243.2021.1930134
https://doi.org/10.1080/00438243.2021.1930134
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Humans reached the Mariana Islands in the western Pacific by ∼3,500 y ago, contemporaneous with or even earlier than the initial peopling of Polynesia. They crossed more than 2,000 km of open ocean to get there, whereas voyages of similar... more
Humans reached the Mariana Islands in the western Pacific by ∼3,500 y ago, contemporaneous with or even earlier than the initial peopling of Polynesia. They crossed more than 2,000 km of open ocean to get there, whereas voyages of similar length did not occur anywhere else until more than 2,000 y later. Yet, the settlement of Polynesia has received far more attention than the settlement of the Marianas. There is uncertainty over both the origin of the first colonizers of the Marianas (with different lines of evidence suggesting variously the Philippines, Indonesia, New
Guinea, or the Bismarck Archipelago) as well as what, if any, relationship they might have had with the first colonizers of Polynesia. To address these questions, we obtained ancient DNA data from two skeletons from the Ritidian Beach Cave Site in northern Guam, dating to ∼2,200 y ago. Analyses of complete mitochondrial DNA genome sequences and genome-wide SNP data strongly support ancestry from the Philippines, in agreement with some interpretations of the linguistic and archaeological evidence, but in contradiction to results based on computer simulations of sea voyaging. We also find a close link between the ancient Guam skeletons and early Lapita individuals from Vanuatu and Tonga, suggesting that the Marianas and Polynesia were colonized from the same source population, and raising the possibility that the Marianas played a role in the eventual settlement of Polynesia.
Guinea, or the Bismarck Archipelago) as well as what, if any, relationship they might have had with the first colonizers of Polynesia. To address these questions, we obtained ancient DNA data from two skeletons from the Ritidian Beach Cave Site in northern Guam, dating to ∼2,200 y ago. Analyses of complete mitochondrial DNA genome sequences and genome-wide SNP data strongly support ancestry from the Philippines, in agreement with some interpretations of the linguistic and archaeological evidence, but in contradiction to results based on computer simulations of sea voyaging. We also find a close link between the ancient Guam skeletons and early Lapita individuals from Vanuatu and Tonga, suggesting that the Marianas and Polynesia were colonized from the same source population, and raising the possibility that the Marianas played a role in the eventual settlement of Polynesia.
Research Interests: Austronesian Languages, Southeast Asian Archaeology, Ancient DNA (Archaeology), Guam History, Micronesia Archaeology, and 6 moreTaiwan Archaeology, Philippine Archaeology, Micronesia, Austronesian Prehistory, Pacific and Island Southeast Asian Archaeology, and commonwealth of the northern mariana islands
This study reports a cranio-morphometric analysis of female human remains from seven archaeological sites in China, Vietnam and Taiwan that date between 16,000 and 5300 BP. The aim of the analysis is to test the "two-layer" model of human... more
This study reports a cranio-morphometric analysis of female human remains from seven archaeological sites in China, Vietnam and Taiwan that date between 16,000 and 5300 BP. The aim of the analysis is to test the "two-layer" model of human dispersal in eastern Eurasia, using previously unanalysed female remains to balance the large sample of previously-analysed males. The resulting craniometric data indicate that the examined specimens all belong to the "first layer" of dispersal, and share a common ancestor with recent Australian and Papuan populations, and the ancient Jomon people of Japan. The analysed specimens pre-date the expansion of agricultural populations of East/ Northeast Asian origin-that is, the "second layer" of human dispersal proposed by the model. As a result of this study, the two-layer model, which has hitherto rested on evidence only from male skeletons, is now strongly supported by female-derived data. Further comparisons reveal that the people of the first layer were closer in terms of their facial morphology to modern Africans and Sri Lankan Veddah than to modern Asians and Europeans, suggesting that the Late Pleistocene through Middle Holocene hunter-gatherers examined in this study were direct descendants of the anatomically modern humans who first migrated out of Africa through southern Eurasia.
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The long process of rice domestication likely started 10,000-8,000 years ago in China, and the pre-existing hunter-gatherer communities gradually adopted more sedentary lifestyles with the dependence of rice agricultural economies. The... more
The long process of rice domestication likely started 10,000-8,000 years ago in China, and the pre-existing hunter-gatherer communities gradually adopted more sedentary lifestyles with the dependence of rice agricultural economies. The archeological evidence builds a strong case for the first domestication of rice to Oryza sativa centered in the Middle-Lower Yangtze Valley during the early Holocene. The genetic evidence identifies the main ancestor of O. sativa was O. rufipogon, however, this now occurs naturally south of the Yangtze where its distribution is limited by summer temperatures and mean annual temperature. The mismatch between occurrence of ancestors and presumed sites of early cultivation leads to a number of hypotheses. These include that first domestication actually took place further south, such as in the Pearl River valley but archeological evidence is currently lacking for this. Or domestication took place, when O. rufipogon had a more extensive natural range in the past. Early to mid-Holocene palaeoclimate reconstructions show that the East Asian Summer Monsoon was more active in the early Holocene and estimates show that the temperature requirements for O. rufipogon were met for a substantial area of northeast China at the time. This would mean that earliest known domestication sites and presumed ancestor distribution coincided for several millennia. Thus early records of rice farming in Henan and Shandong were easily accommodated by early to mid Holocene climates.
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Preserved ancient botanical evidence in the form of rice phytoliths has confirmed that people farmed domesticated rice (Oryza sativa) in the interior of Sulawesi Island, Indonesia, by at least 3,500 years ago. This discovery helps to... more
Preserved ancient botanical evidence in the form of rice phytoliths has confirmed that people farmed domesticated rice (Oryza sativa) in the interior of Sulawesi Island, Indonesia, by at least 3,500 years ago. This discovery helps to resolve a mystery about one of the region’s major events in natural and cultural history, by documenting when rice farming spread into Indonesia, ultimately from a source in mainland China. At the Minanga Sipakko site in Sulawesi, preserved leaf and husk phytoliths of rice show the diagnostic morphology of domesticated varieties, and the discarded husks indicate on-site processing of the crops. The phytoliths were contained within an undisturbed, subsurface archaeological layer of red-slipped pottery, a marker for an evidently sudden cultural change in the region that multiple radiocarbon results extend back to 3,500 years ago. The results from Minanga Sipakko allow factual evaluation of previously untested hypotheses about the timing, geographic pattern, and cultural context of the spread of rice farming into Indonesia, as well as the contribution of external immigrants in this process.
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Around 5000 BC, affluent village communities emerged along the South China Coast. Although traditionally regarded as ancestors of Austronesian migrants, whose farming economies expanded into the Asia-Pacific region, the new synthesis... more
Around 5000 BC, affluent village communities emerged along the South China Coast. Although traditionally regarded as ancestors of Austronesian migrants, whose farming economies expanded into the Asia-Pacific region, the new synthesis presented here shows that these coastal groups actually lived as hunter gatherers and fishers, with evidence of socio-cultural complexity. Around c. 3000–2500 BC, this ‘first layer’ of hunter-gatherers witnessed the arrival of a ‘second layer’, associated with rice farming and Austronesian assemblages. This new synthesis positions global coastlines as centres of socio-economic and political complexity, long-distance contact and technological advancement.
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Archaeobotanical studies tend to concentrate on the evidence for specialised agricultural food production, with less attention directed towards the use of plant foods within hunter-gatherer contexts. Here, the authors present evidence for... more
Archaeobotanical studies tend to concentrate on the evidence for specialised agricultural food production, with less attention directed towards the use of plant foods within hunter-gatherer contexts. Here, the authors present evidence for the exploitation of Canarium nuts from four late hunter-gatherer sites in southern China. Canarium nuts contributed to the inhabitants’ diets from as early as 9000 cal BP. They also identify new uses of Canarium, c. 4500–4400 cal BP, as ritual offerings in the context of the introduction of rice and millet farming. The results are examined in the context of Canarium use across the wider Asia-Pacific region.
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This cranio-morphometric study emphasizes a “two-layer model” for eastern Eurasian anatomically modern human (AMH) populations, based on large datasets of 89 population samples including findings directly from ancient archaeological... more
This cranio-morphometric study emphasizes a “two-layer model” for eastern Eurasian anatomically modern human (AMH) populations, based on large datasets of 89 population samples including findings directly from ancient archaeological contexts. Results suggest that an initial “first layer” of AMH had related closely to ancestral Andaman, Australian, Papuan, and Jomon groups who likely entered this region via the Southeast Asian landmass, prior to 65–50 kya. A later “second layer” shared strong cranial affinities with Siberians, implying a Northeast Asian source, evidenced by 9 kya in central China and then followed by expansions of descendant groups into Southeast Asia after 4 kya. These two populations shared limited initial exchange, and the second layer grew at a faster rate and in greater numbers, linked with contexts of farming that may have supported increased population densities. Clear dichotomization between the two layers implies a temporally deep divergence of distinct migration routes for AMH through both southern and northern Eurasia.
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This study aims to clarify the characteristics of early coastal peoples in Southeast China and their relationship to the emergence of a Neolithic transition in this region. In prior decades, the region’s pottery-bearing Neolithic sites... more
This study aims to clarify the characteristics of early coastal peoples in Southeast China and their relationship to the emergence of a Neolithic transition in this region. In prior decades, the region’s pottery-bearing Neolithic sites were thought to reflect rice farming societies (which were identified as an “Early Neolithic Culture”) linked to ancient Austronesian language groups. However, these beliefs may need to be revised now that archaeological findings have revealed an ongoing reliance on coastal and maritime resources, rather than rice agriculture, in this region since about 5000 BC, or even much earlier. More specifically, the evidence suggests that mixed-origin complex foragers successfully occupied the coastal zones of Fujian (福建), Guangdong (广东), Guangxi (广西), Hainan (海南), and perhaps Taiwan (台湾) around 5000 to 3000 BC. Only later did these groups experience variable degrees of cultural transformation and move towards rice agriculture as a result of their contact with migrating farmers from the middle and lower Yangtze Valley.
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The origins and spreads of rice agriculture have been enduring topics, yet the timing and southward dispersal from the Yangtze River Basin have been difficult to trace, due to the scarcity of archaeobotanical data, especially systematic... more
The origins and spreads of rice agriculture have been enduring topics, yet the timing and southward dispersal from the Yangtze River Basin have been difficult to trace, due to the scarcity of archaeobotanical
data, especially systematic macro-plant remains examination, combined with the poor preservation in the humid climate and acidic soils of China’s southern provinces. Here, we report new radiocarbon dating
and preserved rice phytolith evidence, derived from three Late Neolithic archaeological sites in south China, dated about 5,000–4,100 cal a BP. Our results demonstrate that rice farming had spread southward
through the mountainous regions of Wuyi and Nanling, then entered the areas of Western Fujian and North Guangdong by 5,000 cal a BP, followed by continued expansion into coastal areas of East China
Sea and South China Sea, also crossing the Taiwan Strait, around 4,500–4,000 cal a BP. The North River, East River, Min River, and possibly other river systems likely were influential as pathways or conduits.
data, especially systematic macro-plant remains examination, combined with the poor preservation in the humid climate and acidic soils of China’s southern provinces. Here, we report new radiocarbon dating
and preserved rice phytolith evidence, derived from three Late Neolithic archaeological sites in south China, dated about 5,000–4,100 cal a BP. Our results demonstrate that rice farming had spread southward
through the mountainous regions of Wuyi and Nanling, then entered the areas of Western Fujian and North Guangdong by 5,000 cal a BP, followed by continued expansion into coastal areas of East China
Sea and South China Sea, also crossing the Taiwan Strait, around 4,500–4,000 cal a BP. The North River, East River, Min River, and possibly other river systems likely were influential as pathways or conduits.
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Paleo-landscape investigations contextualize how people have inhabited and coevolved dynamically with their landforms, resource zones, and social-ecological niches during measured time intervals and through extended chronological... more
Paleo-landscape investigations contextualize how people have inhabited and coevolved dynamically with their landforms, resource zones, and social-ecological niches during measured time intervals and through extended chronological sequences. Toward illustrating this research potential, changing paleo-landscapes 2500–1500 BC reveal the ancient conditions of the places where people lived in both Taiwan and the northern Philippines, in this case exploring what transpired there during a critical time period that heralded deep transformation of the language history, cultural heritage, economic production, and population demography of Island Southeast Asia as known today. During the time range of interest, the region’s coastlines and habitat configurations were substantially different from today’s circumstances, prior to change in sea level, accelerated slope erosion, lowland sedimentary buildup, and some of the world’s most rapid recorded tectonic uplift. The results show that people in eastern Taiwan at 2200–2000 BC faced a crisis of limited suitable landforms for their particular mode of subsistence economy, thus instigating overseas migration to the northern Philippines as a means to expand into other territories, with continued effects through 1500 BC and thereafter.
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The human occupation history of Southeast Asia (SEA) remains heavily debated. Current evidence suggests that SEA was occupied by Hòabìnhian hunter-gatherers until ~4000 years ago, when farming economies developed and expanded, restricting... more
The human occupation history of Southeast Asia (SEA) remains heavily debated. Current evidence suggests that SEA was occupied by Hòabìnhian hunter-gatherers until ~4000 years ago, when farming economies developed and expanded, restricting foraging groups to remote habitats. Some argue that agricultural development was indigenous; others favor the " two-layer " hypothesis that posits a southward expansion of farmers giving rise to present-day Southeast Asian genetic diversity. By sequencing 26 ancient human genomes (25 from SEA, 1 Japanese Jōmon), we show that neither interpretation fits the complexity of Southeast Asian history: Both Hòabìnhian hunter-gatherers and East Asian farmers contributed to current Southeast Asian diversity, with further migrations affecting island SEA and Vietnam. Our results help resolve one of the long-standing controversies in Southeast Asian prehistory.
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The Austronesian language is spread from Madagascar in the west, Island Southeast Asia (ISEA) in the east (e.g. the Philippines and Indonesian archipelagoes) and throughout the Pacific, as far east as Easter Island. While it seems clear... more
The Austronesian language is spread from Madagascar in the west, Island Southeast Asia (ISEA) in the east (e.g. the Philippines and Indonesian archipelagoes) and throughout the Pacific, as far east as Easter Island. While it seems clear that the remote ancestors of Aus-tronesian speakers originated in Southern China, and migrated to Taiwan with the development of rice farming by c. 5500 BP and onto the northern Philippines by c. 4000 BP (the Austronesian Dispersal Hypothesis or ADH), we know very little about the origins and emergence of Austronesian speakers in the Indonesian Archipelago. Using a combination of cra-nial morphometric and ancient mtDNA analyses on a new dataset from Gua Hairmau, that spans the pre-Neolithic through to Metal Period (5712—5591cal BP to 1864—1719 cal BP), we rigorously test the validity of the ADH in ISEA. A morphometric analysis of 23 adult male crania, using 16 of Martin's standard measurements, was carried out with results compared to an East and Southeast Asian dataset of 30 sample populations spanning the Late Pleisto-cene through to Metal Period, in addition to 39 modern samples from East and Southeast Asia, near Oceania and Australia. Further, 20 samples were analyzed for ancient mtDNA and assigned to identified haplogroups. We demonstrate that the archaeological human remains from Gua Harimau cave, Sumatra, Indonesia provide clear evidence for at least two (cranio-morphometrically defined) and perhaps even three (in the context of the ancient mtDNA results) distinct populations from two separate time periods. The results of these analyses provide substantive support for the ADH model in explaining the origins and population history of ISEA peoples.
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This chapter explores the archaeological record of cultural interactions in Southeast Asia (SEA), from the Neolithic past up through the period of historically reported kingdoms, from approximately 2000 BC through AD 200. Cultural... more
This chapter explores the archaeological record of cultural interactions in Southeast Asia (SEA), from the Neolithic past up through the period of historically reported kingdoms, from approximately 2000 BC through AD 200. Cultural interactions have been evidenced in different forms, such as human migrations in a large scale, traveling craftsmen and merchants in smaller scales, and overlapping patterns of exchange of knowledge, raw materials, finished products, new ideas, and people throughout SEA. Rivers and seas provided natural conduits for such networks across SEA, while overland routes also were developed. Communities were interconnected across SEA and with other civilizations (e.g., China, India, Arabia, and Rome) by river, sea, and land. Through examining these networks, we can learn about the long-term and inter-linked developments of SEA cultures that we see today. Archaeology has a long history of examining cross-community interactions. Precious stone ornaments, distinctively decorated pottery, glass beads, casting molds for metal-production, and other tangible artifacts constitute the hard evidence of materials that were transported from one place to another in dated contexts. With these indisputable facts in hand, archaeologists can reconstruct maps of ancient networks of communications and trade contacts during specific time periods. We further can consider how the material evidence relates with larger themes of economic production, social meaning of trade and exchange, and opportunities for political and ideological developments. The geographic setting of SEA is highly propitious for several inter-community networks, often overlapping. River systems flow in reticulate patterns of waterways throughout much of Mainland SEA, while the Red River and Mekong River connect farther in two major routes with southern China. Additionally, coastlines enable contacts across the sea in all directions, linking Mainland and Island SEA with each other and with distant lands. Inter-community trading and other networking activities have greatly shaped the cultures, histories and languages of SEA over long time scales, through both "bottom-up" and "top-down" processes. The bottom-up developments entailed regular routines among local families who traded foods, exchanged finished craft goods and perhaps formed alliances at various scales within their communities and throughout whatever networks were available.
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Regarding the jade and jade-like artefacts unearthed from Khao Sam Kaeo, new research has explored the use of different raw materials and relations with inter-regional trade networks. Geochemical analysis offers a way to identify the... more
Regarding the jade and jade-like artefacts unearthed from Khao Sam Kaeo, new research has explored the use of different raw materials and relations with inter-regional trade networks. Geochemical analysis offers a way to identify the geological sources of the stone materials, potentially involving long-distance movements. In conjunction with those findings, studies of workshop debris provide information about how the artefacts were produced and how the evident crafting styles may have been linked across the regions of Mainland and Island Southeast Asia.
Local craft production is evident in workshop debris at the site. The unearthed artefacts include complete objects and related worked fragments such as drilled-out cores, cut square blanks, and small cut fragments. Most of these materials were used for manufacturing ornaments such as the lingling-o penannular earrings, the double animal-headed ear pendants, bracelets, and pendants. In order to learn the geological sources of the green stones used to make these ornaments at Khao Sam Kaeo, 28 artefacts were examined through a series of non-invasive analyses by a low-vacuum scanning electron microscope (LVSEM) equipped with an energy dispersive X-ray (EDS) spectrometer. The results show those objects and worked fragments can be grouped into three major categories of nephrite jade (17 samples), green mica (8 samples), and quartzite (2 samples). The geological sources included nephrite from Taiwan, mica from the Philippines, and quartzite from an unknown source. Among 17 specimens of nephrite, 12 of them are comparable to the Fengtian nephrite source in Eastern Taiwan. However, another 5 nephrite specimens were too weathered to analyze for making a final conclusion of their geological source. In addition to the nephrite from Taiwan, some of the artefacts were made of mica similar in chemistry to that from Mindoro Island in the Philippines. Khao Sam Keo became the first prehistoric jewellery workshop in Southeast Asia with a significant amount of mica-ornament production. Moreover, quartzite was used to produce a bracelet here.
This study indicates that the stone jewellery production at Khao Sam Kaeo can be situated in a larger regional network or perhaps a number of such networks. Multiple overseas sources are evident in the raw materials. Additionally, the similar production method and ornament style of jade and mica link these findings to the contemporaneous traditions as documented at production sites distributed all around the South China Sea, such as in Southern Taiwan, the Philippines, and Southern Vietnam.
Based on the new findings, two hypotheses are developed about the origins of the responsible craftsmen and production techniques. The first hypothesis proposes different backgrounds in origin or training for the craftsmen of jade versus the craftsmen of mica objects. Each group owned the raw materials or could access the raw material. For nephrite, perhaps a group of specialised craftsmen from Eastern Taiwan, Southern Vietnam, or the Philippines migrated into Khao Sam Kaeo. The second hypothesis proposes that local craftsmen at Khao Sam Kaeo knew the necessary skills for nephrite and mica production from other regions, but several points remain uncertain, such as how the skills were learned and how people obtained the raw materials from overseas. According to the archaeological findings at Khao Sam Kaeo, the site was strongly connected in extensive maritime trade networks, linking with Taiwan, the Philippines, Borneo, coastal Southern Vietnam, Cambodia, and beyond at approximately 400 through 100 BC. Future studies will be needed to understand how those overseas raw materials, techniques, and perhaps craftsmen reached to Khao Sam Kaeo.
Local craft production is evident in workshop debris at the site. The unearthed artefacts include complete objects and related worked fragments such as drilled-out cores, cut square blanks, and small cut fragments. Most of these materials were used for manufacturing ornaments such as the lingling-o penannular earrings, the double animal-headed ear pendants, bracelets, and pendants. In order to learn the geological sources of the green stones used to make these ornaments at Khao Sam Kaeo, 28 artefacts were examined through a series of non-invasive analyses by a low-vacuum scanning electron microscope (LVSEM) equipped with an energy dispersive X-ray (EDS) spectrometer. The results show those objects and worked fragments can be grouped into three major categories of nephrite jade (17 samples), green mica (8 samples), and quartzite (2 samples). The geological sources included nephrite from Taiwan, mica from the Philippines, and quartzite from an unknown source. Among 17 specimens of nephrite, 12 of them are comparable to the Fengtian nephrite source in Eastern Taiwan. However, another 5 nephrite specimens were too weathered to analyze for making a final conclusion of their geological source. In addition to the nephrite from Taiwan, some of the artefacts were made of mica similar in chemistry to that from Mindoro Island in the Philippines. Khao Sam Keo became the first prehistoric jewellery workshop in Southeast Asia with a significant amount of mica-ornament production. Moreover, quartzite was used to produce a bracelet here.
This study indicates that the stone jewellery production at Khao Sam Kaeo can be situated in a larger regional network or perhaps a number of such networks. Multiple overseas sources are evident in the raw materials. Additionally, the similar production method and ornament style of jade and mica link these findings to the contemporaneous traditions as documented at production sites distributed all around the South China Sea, such as in Southern Taiwan, the Philippines, and Southern Vietnam.
Based on the new findings, two hypotheses are developed about the origins of the responsible craftsmen and production techniques. The first hypothesis proposes different backgrounds in origin or training for the craftsmen of jade versus the craftsmen of mica objects. Each group owned the raw materials or could access the raw material. For nephrite, perhaps a group of specialised craftsmen from Eastern Taiwan, Southern Vietnam, or the Philippines migrated into Khao Sam Kaeo. The second hypothesis proposes that local craftsmen at Khao Sam Kaeo knew the necessary skills for nephrite and mica production from other regions, but several points remain uncertain, such as how the skills were learned and how people obtained the raw materials from overseas. According to the archaeological findings at Khao Sam Kaeo, the site was strongly connected in extensive maritime trade networks, linking with Taiwan, the Philippines, Borneo, coastal Southern Vietnam, Cambodia, and beyond at approximately 400 through 100 BC. Future studies will be needed to understand how those overseas raw materials, techniques, and perhaps craftsmen reached to Khao Sam Kaeo.
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This study presents the first direct evidence of millet cultivation in Neolithic southeast coastal China. Macroscopic plant remains and phytoliths, together with direct accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) radiocarbon dates on crops, have... more
This study presents the first direct evidence of millet cultivation in Neolithic southeast coastal China. Macroscopic plant remains and phytoliths, together with direct accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) radiocarbon dates on crops, have shown that both foxtail millet and broomcorn millet were cultivated with rice in the Huangguashan and Pingfengshan sites in Fujian province around 4000–3500 cal. BP. Ratios of different parts of crop remains revealed that crop processing activities such as dehusking and sieving were conducted within the site and thus demonstrated the local production of these crops. The new data, especially the discovery of foxtail millet and broomcorn millet, have greatly changed the current knowledge about the ancient distribution of millet in South China and have now identified southeast China among the potential source-region of Neolithic crops transported overseas to Taiwan and Island Southeast Asia. This study further draws a potential dispersal route of Austronesian languages and people from southern China through Taiwan throughout Southeast Asia.
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This paper addresses a major gap in our knowledge: the nature of Austronesian societies associated with the spread of the Neolithic through Island Southeast Asia. It addresses this gap by presenting a pilot study on the changing nature of... more
This paper addresses a major gap in our knowledge: the nature of Austronesian societies associated with the spread of the Neolithic through Island Southeast Asia. It addresses this gap by presenting a pilot study on the changing nature of settlement through pottery production from the Neolithic to the Iron Age. A physico-chemical analysis of pottery from the site of Nagsabaran located in Lal-lo, Cagayan Valley, Northern Luzon, Philippines, was undertaken and the data are used to assess models of mobility and sedentism in order to understand the nature of these early Austronesian communities. The research carried out through the physico-chemical analysis suggests more mobile populations during the Neolithic in the Cagayan Valley changing through time to a more sedentary society in the Iron Age.
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Gaomiao, the eponymous archaeological site of the Gaomiao Culture (ca. 7500–5500 BP) has produced evidence of a unique hunter-gatherer society in Hunan Province, China, that produced fine decorated pottery. The human remains unearthed... more
Gaomiao, the eponymous archaeological site of the Gaomiao Culture (ca. 7500–5500 BP) has produced evidence of a unique hunter-gatherer society in Hunan Province, China, that produced fine decorated pottery. The human remains unearthed from this site provided an excellent opportunity to assess phenotypic and biological relationships between the Gaomiao and prehistoric and modern human populations that have inhabited East/Southeast Asia over the past ca. 10,000 years through cranial morphometrics. The assessment of morphometric affinity presented here addresses the peopling of East Asia, particularly in the context of the 'two-layer' hypothesis describing the population history of this region. The results suggest that the Gaomiao skeletons inherited genetic signatures from early colonising populations of Late Pleistocene southern Eurasian origin to a certain extent, and might share a common ancestry with present-day Australian Aboriginal and Melanesian people.
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Located in the key junction between mainland China and Island Southeast Asia, Taiwan is of great significance for our understanding of the southeastward dispersal of rice agriculture in the prehistoric period. Until now, quite limited... more
Located in the key junction between mainland China and Island Southeast Asia, Taiwan is of great significance for our understanding of the southeastward dispersal of rice agriculture in the prehistoric period. Until now, quite limited archaeobotanical work has been done in this region. In eastern Taiwan, no archaeological evidence of rice agriculture has been obtained, probably owing to the poor preservation conditions for plant macroremains. Here, we report a new discovery of 4200-year-old domesticated rice remains at the Chaolaiqiao site, which for the first time in detail demonstrates the ancient practice of rice agriculture in this area. Based on a combination of factors that include a rice-based plant subsistence strategy, the mid-Holocene limits to available farmland and the fast-growing Taiwan Neolithic population from settlement pattern data, we infer that this contradiction in eastern Taiwan between land-dependent agriculture and limited suitable farmland encouraged a population movement out of Taiwan during the Middle Neolithic period.
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Recent multidisciplinary research on the Palaeolithic to Neolithic transition has confirmed several stages of cultural development dated between 20,000 BC and 1500 BC in southern China, Taiwan, and Southeast Asia. The patterns of... more
Recent multidisciplinary research on the Palaeolithic to Neolithic transition has confirmed several stages of cultural development dated between 20,000 BC and 1500 BC in southern China, Taiwan, and Southeast Asia. The patterns of habitation, settlement, subsistence, and material culture underwent remarkable changes at certain points during this long time sequence, and even whole populations were replaced or massively transformed. This updated synthesis of new research findings will focus the discussion on the archaeological evidence from Taiwan and its neighboring regions, especially from northern Luzon in the Philippines, and the Marianas of western Micronesia.
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Taiwan presents a puzzling anomaly in the development and expansion of South and Southeast Asian trade routes. The lack of historical records from the island emphasises the value of archaeology for understanding the establishment of trade... more
Taiwan presents a puzzling anomaly in the development and expansion of South and Southeast Asian trade routes. The lack of historical records from the island emphasises the value of archaeology for understanding the establishment of trade and the transmission of people, ideas and knowledge. Recent research focusing on newly excavated sites such as Jiuxianglan shows that the Metal Age in Taiwan began around 400 BC, much earlier than was previously thought. Furthermore, it seems that early trade predominantly prioritised links to the south, and not,
curiously, with Mainland China to the immediate west as had traditionally been supposed.
curiously, with Mainland China to the immediate west as had traditionally been supposed.
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This chapter examines the prehistory of migration in China from the Late Paleolithic onwards, with a focus on the Neolithic and the spreads of early agricultural societies from the Yangzi River and Yellow River basins, and regions in... more
This chapter examines the prehistory of migration in China from the Late Paleolithic onwards, with a focus on the Neolithic and the spreads of early agricultural societies from the Yangzi River and Yellow River basins, and regions in between. Some of these migrations contributed to the origins of many populations in Southeast Asia, to be considered in the following chapters.
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The Neolithic of Taiwan represents the first stage in the expansion of Austronesianspeaking peoples through the Pacific. Settlement and burial evidence from the Tapenkeng (TKP) or Dabenkeng culture demonstrates the development of the... more
The Neolithic of Taiwan represents the first stage in the expansion of Austronesianspeaking peoples through the Pacific. Settlement and burial evidence from the Tapenkeng (TKP) or Dabenkeng culture demonstrates the development of the early Taiwanese Neolithic over a period of almost 2000 years, from its origin in the pre-TPK of the Pearl River Delta and south-eastern coastal China. The first TPK communities of Taiwan pursued a mixed coastal foraging
and horticultural lifestyle, but by the late TPK rice and millet farming were practised with extensive villages and large settlements. The broad-spectrum subsistence diversity of
the Taiwanese Neolithic was an important factor in facilitating the subsequent expansion of Austronesian-speaking peoples to the Philippines and beyond.
Keywords: Taiwan, Austronesian dispersal, Tapenkeng (Dabenkeng), broad-spectrum foraging, rice farming, human migration
Online supplementary material is provided at http://antiquity.ac.uk/projgall/hung342
and horticultural lifestyle, but by the late TPK rice and millet farming were practised with extensive villages and large settlements. The broad-spectrum subsistence diversity of
the Taiwanese Neolithic was an important factor in facilitating the subsequent expansion of Austronesian-speaking peoples to the Philippines and beyond.
Keywords: Taiwan, Austronesian dispersal, Tapenkeng (Dabenkeng), broad-spectrum foraging, rice farming, human migration
Online supplementary material is provided at http://antiquity.ac.uk/projgall/hung342
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島嶼東南亞地理位置十分重要, 尤其是從不同時間範圍和地理路線來探討古人類起源, 遷徙和交流等問題時備受關注, 而該區域考古學研究的困難之一是考古材料非常零散, 不便對比研究˳本文嘗試對島嶼東南亞考古學研究進行一個廣泛而深入的梳理, 回顧了區域考古學研究從誕生期到過渡期再到發展期的發展歷程, 為全球視野下展望島嶼東南亞考古學未來的發展方向奠定了基礎˳
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摘要：本文是基於考古發掘獲取的人骨遺存在內的89組古代及現代的人群樣本而做的顱骨形態測量研究，側重說明解剖學意義上的現代人（anatomically modern... more
摘要：本文是基於考古發掘獲取的人骨遺存在內的89組古代及現代的人群樣本而做的顱骨形態測量研究，側重說明解剖學意義上的現代人（anatomically modern humans）在歐亞大陸東部演化分佈的“二層”模式。距今6.5萬－5萬年以前，“第一層”現代人經東南亞大陸向東、向南擴散，他們與現今安達曼人、澳大利亞人、巴布亞人的祖先以及日本繩紋時代人群最為接近。距今約九千年前，擁有東北亞血統的“第二層”現代人出現在中國中部地區，並於距今四千年前後向南擴張至東南亞地區，這些人群在顱骨形態上與西伯利亞人具有密切的親緣關係。上述兩大人群最初交流有限，在農業能夠支撐增加人口密度的情境下，“第二層”現代人增長速度較快，人口數量較多。這兩層人群顯著的二重結構特徵，表明了現代人在歐亞大陸南、北不同遷移路線間的歷時性差異。
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考古證據顯示，在過去數千年的時間裡、臺灣東部和菲律賓之間有不同型式的互動關係，以及在複雜而流動的社會脈絡、環境脈絡下進行的貿易和交換。這些實例對於理解當代的社會、政治、和經濟關係，以及世界史中的跨文化互動都具有啟發性。本文對於臺灣東部和菲律賓的討論，按照時間順序陳述考古證據，包括舊石器時代（30,000 至6000 年前）、新石器時代（6000/5500 至2400 年前）、和鐵器時代（2400 到400... more
考古證據顯示，在過去數千年的時間裡、臺灣東部和菲律賓之間有不同型式的互動關係，以及在複雜而流動的社會脈絡、環境脈絡下進行的貿易和交換。這些實例對於理解當代的社會、政治、和經濟關係，以及世界史中的跨文化互動都具有啟發性。本文對於臺灣東部和菲律賓的討論，按照時間順序陳述考古證據，包括舊石器時代（30,000 至6000 年前）、新石器時代（6000/5500 至2400 年前）、和鐵器時代（2400 到400 年前）。雖然，這兩個區域間的關係、百年來已經吸引起不少學術關注，近來在臺灣東部和菲律賓的大量考古新證據終於促使許多新的見解得以成型，這是通過對跨區域的器物型態和風格比較、古代裝飾品和其他器物的地質化學成份溯源分析、古代人骨遺骸的顱骨形態分析、古代DNA 研究、古代植物遺留分析、以及古地景研究所獲得的成果。這些最新成果，可以用來重新思考在時間長軸中關於人口遷移、跨文化互動、貿易、交換、和技術傳播等問題。
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Interview paper written by Xin-yi Chen
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本文以南島語族分布區內兩項古代物質文化遺留為例—紅衣陶及檳榔文化... more
本文以南島語族分布區內兩項古代物質文化遺留為例—紅衣陶及檳榔文化
的出現年代及地理分布，探討南島語族的族群遷移、文化傳入（intrusion）、創新（innovation）與整合（integration）等相關議題。紅衣陶，是辨識亞洲—太平洋島嶼之間新石器時代族群遷移路線的重要指標之一。在南島語族分布區裡，這類陶器最早出現在臺灣，接著出現在東南亞島嶼以及大洋洲。至於在南島語族分布區，目前看到最早的檳榔文化相關証據則是出土於菲律賓，臺灣原住民的檳榔文化是否是從菲律賓北傳回流的結果，目前尚無法確定。這兩項物質文化在人類史上的分布範圍很廣、時間也很長，要詮釋它們的文化意涵只能從考古學所建構的考古文化框架，參酌語言學和遺傳學等相關研究，突顯它們在古代南島社會的意義。
的出現年代及地理分布，探討南島語族的族群遷移、文化傳入（intrusion）、創新（innovation）與整合（integration）等相關議題。紅衣陶，是辨識亞洲—太平洋島嶼之間新石器時代族群遷移路線的重要指標之一。在南島語族分布區裡，這類陶器最早出現在臺灣，接著出現在東南亞島嶼以及大洋洲。至於在南島語族分布區，目前看到最早的檳榔文化相關証據則是出土於菲律賓，臺灣原住民的檳榔文化是否是從菲律賓北傳回流的結果，目前尚無法確定。這兩項物質文化在人類史上的分布範圍很廣、時間也很長，要詮釋它們的文化意涵只能從考古學所建構的考古文化框架，參酌語言學和遺傳學等相關研究，突顯它們在古代南島社會的意義。
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本文綜合討論從中國南方到密克羅尼西亞這個區域的最新考古材料，以期對古南島語族的移民史有一個全面性及最新的理解。筆者著重討論一手材料，尤其是馬里亞那群島（密克羅尼西亞）及呂宋島北部（菲律賓）新石器時代早期的最新定年結果及其文化遺留，並且一併檢視最近在華南、臺灣和海南島的考古新發現。 依據各地的新石器文化起始年代及考古遺物組合，太平洋地區最早新石器居民的原鄉可以追溯臺灣、甚至中國南方。在中國南方所出現的最後的狩獵採集者（西元前18,000... more
本文綜合討論從中國南方到密克羅尼西亞這個區域的最新考古材料，以期對古南島語族的移民史有一個全面性及最新的理解。筆者著重討論一手材料，尤其是馬里亞那群島（密克羅尼西亞）及呂宋島北部（菲律賓）新石器時代早期的最新定年結果及其文化遺留，並且一併檢視最近在華南、臺灣和海南島的考古新發現。
依據各地的新石器文化起始年代及考古遺物組合，太平洋地區最早新石器居民的原鄉可以追溯臺灣、甚至中國南方。在中國南方所出現的最後的狩獵採集者（西元前18,000 年到西元前3,000 年）以及最早的農人（西元前7,000 年前後到西元前3,000 年）之間的文化關係，對於我們理解大坌坑文化、也就是臺灣最早的新石器時代文化（一般認為代表最早的南島語族文化）的來源，扮演了重要的角色。
在本文的討論中，還有許多問題沒有答案。但是很顯然地，古南島語族約莫在6,000 年前就從中國南方越過臺灣海峽來到臺灣，隨後在3,500 年前從菲律賓移民到馬里亞納群島、完成了當時世界上最長距離的跨海航行，其後再逐步的擴張到廣大的太平洋地區。
依據各地的新石器文化起始年代及考古遺物組合，太平洋地區最早新石器居民的原鄉可以追溯臺灣、甚至中國南方。在中國南方所出現的最後的狩獵採集者（西元前18,000 年到西元前3,000 年）以及最早的農人（西元前7,000 年前後到西元前3,000 年）之間的文化關係，對於我們理解大坌坑文化、也就是臺灣最早的新石器時代文化（一般認為代表最早的南島語族文化）的來源，扮演了重要的角色。
在本文的討論中，還有許多問題沒有答案。但是很顯然地，古南島語族約莫在6,000 年前就從中國南方越過臺灣海峽來到臺灣，隨後在3,500 年前從菲律賓移民到馬里亞納群島、完成了當時世界上最長距離的跨海航行，其後再逐步的擴張到廣大的太平洋地區。
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本文針對環南海地區「雙頭獸」及「三突起」耳飾玦這兩類玉器，就目前已知的出土地點進行綜合整理。綜合各遺址的碳十四年代，這兩類玉器主要流行於西元前500 年到西元前100 年間的東南亞地區。溯源的結果顯示部份玉材應來自花蓮豐田地區的礦源。近年來筆者也注意到除了上述兩類玉器，在環南海的幾個地點也出土了具有明顯卑南文化特色的它類玉器，本文將歸納近來所見做一介紹。經由出土玉器及玉材的研究, 我們對於台灣和東南亞的史前文化關係有了更多的理解。
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在中國華南及其鄰近的西南和東南亞地區史前時期，曾經出現過多種採取不同生計方式的文化群體。而且在越往後的時期，就越多見到多種不同生計形式在不同區域並存，或同一地區兼收並蓄不同生計方式的情況。不過各種生計形式的主要類型還是大致可以劃分，這就是舊石器時代的采集狩獵方式、新石器時代的采集漁獵方式和農業的生計方式。盡管這三種類型的生計方式並非截然可分，但確有各自的特色，並依次出現在不同的時期，同時也因采取不同的方式而由此影響到當時社會文化的各個方面。根據目前資料可知，中國華南及其鄰近地... more
在中國華南及其鄰近的西南和東南亞地區史前時期，曾經出現過多種採取不同生計方式的文化群體。而且在越往後的時期，就越多見到多種不同生計形式在不同區域並存，或同一地區兼收並蓄不同生計方式的情況。不過各種生計形式的主要類型還是大致可以劃分，這就是舊石器時代的采集狩獵方式、新石器時代的采集漁獵方式和農業的生計方式。盡管這三種類型的生計方式並非截然可分，但確有各自的特色，並依次出現在不同的時期，同時也因采取不同的方式而由此影響到當時社會文化的各個方面。根據目前資料可知，中國華南及其鄰近地區在整個舊石器時代的取食經濟方式應當是簡單的采集狩獵形式，在新石器時代的大部分時間裡則是一種特別依賴水生食物的采集漁獵方式，又被稱作廣譜的或“富裕的食物采集文化” ，直到新石器時代後期才出現了農耕的方式。由於資料不夠充分，本文無法對采集狩獵經濟的形式、內容及其與文化其他方面之間的聯系做深入探討，以下將關注的是這一地區新石器時代的采集漁獵文化的出現、發展、類型和衰落，並申論這種文化對東南亞史前文化和人群形成的影響。
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
關於台灣與鄰近東南亞地區在史前時代的文化關係，向來為學術界所關注；過去的研究多從器物的形態相似度來討論其間可能的文化傳播或交流。基於前述方法所能提供的訊息有限，因此本文除了透過考古學的形態比較，並利用低真空掃描電子顯微鏡（簡稱LV-SEM）配備有X... more
關於台灣與鄰近東南亞地區在史前時代的文化關係，向來為學術界所關注；過去的研究多從器物的形態相似度來討論其間可能的文化傳播或交流。基於前述方法所能提供的訊息有限，因此本文除了透過考古學的形態比較，並利用低真空掃描電子顯微鏡（簡稱LV-SEM）配備有X 射線光譜儀（簡稱EDS)、以及電子微探儀(簡稱EPMA)，針對菲律賓出土的一顆鈴形玉珠進行礦物特徵觀察，以及化學成份分析。研究結果確定這件玉器的玉料取材自台灣花蓮的豐田地區，且極可能製作於台灣史前時代的卑南文化，年代大約在距今3000年前左右。此一證據，對於當時航海技術的進步以及台灣史前時代的南島語民族南移，提供了一項重要的證據。
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
本文作者之一臧振華於一九八三年在澎湖七美島發現了南港遺址，當時即推測此為一處石器製造場遺址，但受限於經費和時間，未能進一步研究。二○○○年五月臧振華與夏威夷大學考古學家 Barry Rolett... more
本文作者之一臧振華於一九八三年在澎湖七美島發現了南港遺址，當時即推測此為一處石器製造場遺址，但受限於經費和時間，未能進一步研究。二○○○年五月臧振華與夏威夷大學考古學家 Barry Rolett 和中央研究院地球科學研究所研究員葉學文博士等人前往七美南港遺址採集玄武岩石器標本和玄武岩地質標本，準備作X射線螢光分析，以找尋臺灣和澎湖所發現玄武岩石器的礦源時，又在七美島上發現了東湖和西北灣兩處石器製造場遺址。這些石器製造場遺址規模龐大，暴露大量石器的原料、廢料、成品和工具，在臺灣尚屬首次發現，甚為珍貴。本文陳述這三處史前石器製造場的狀況和內容，並就所採集的材料，對當時石器製造技術進行初步的分析和研究。此外，還對三處石器製造場的生產和消費問題、石器製造的專業化問題和石器製造活動的空間結構問題作了初步的討論。
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
예부터 동남아는 동·서방과 해상에서 교류하는 요지였다. 본고는 동남아를 위주로, 세 개의 문화단계를 나 누어 동남아의 신석기 시대부터 철기시대까지 있었던 교역과 교류 활동을 다룬 것이다. 또한, 본고는 특이한 기물, 동식물, 공예 기술이 동남아와 다른 지역 사이에서 장거리로 유통되었다는 것을 고고학적 증거로 제시한 다. 초보적 교역과 교류 활동은 동남아 이외의 다른 지역에도 문화적 영향을 깊게 주었을 뿐만 아니라 장거리... more
예부터 동남아는 동·서방과 해상에서 교류하는 요지였다. 본고는 동남아를 위주로, 세 개의 문화단계를 나 누어 동남아의 신석기 시대부터 철기시대까지 있었던 교역과 교류 활동을 다룬 것이다. 또한, 본고는 특이한 기물, 동식물, 공예 기술이 동남아와 다른 지역 사이에서 장거리로 유통되었다는 것을 고고학적 증거로 제시한 다. 초보적 교역과 교류 활동은 동남아 이외의 다른 지역에도 문화적 영향을 깊게 주었을 뿐만 아니라 장거리 교역을 통해 동남아의 내부 사회구조도 더욱 복잡해졌고 문화적 함의로 더욱 다양해졌다. 세계사적 맥락에서 동남아의 고대 교역활동을 보면, 고대 동남아의 특수성을 더욱 잘 볼 수 있다.
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This cranio-morphometric study emphasizes a “two-layer model” for eastern Eurasian anatomically modern human (AMH) populations, based on large datasets of 89 population samples including findings directly from ancient archaeological... more
This cranio-morphometric study emphasizes a “two-layer model” for eastern Eurasian anatomically modern human (AMH) populations, based on large datasets of 89 population samples including findings directly from ancient archaeological contexts. Results suggest that an initial “first layer” of AMH had related closely to ancestral Andaman, Australian, Papuan, and Jomon groups who likely entered this region via the Southeast Asian landmass, prior to 65–50 kya. A later “second layer” shared strong cranial affinities with Siberians, implying a Northeast Asian source, evidenced by 9 kya in central China and then followed by expansions of descendant groups into Southeast Asia after 4 kya. These two populations shared limited initial exchange, and the second layer grew at a faster rate and in greater numbers, linked with contexts of farming that may have supported increased population densities. Clear dichotomization between the two layers implies a temporally deep divergence of distinct migr...
Research Interests:
Any framework of cultural history must build from a starting point of when people first lived in the Mariana Islands, what happened during that time, and then what occurred over the next several centuries until modern historically... more
Any framework of cultural history must build from a starting point of when people first lived in the Mariana Islands, what happened during that time, and then what occurred over the next several centuries until modern historically recorded times. Here we clarify the archaeological dating of first cultural presence in the islands at 1500 BC if not slightly earlier, and we summarize the evidence about what people did at that earliest time period. Next, we consider briefly about the extended archaeological record leading up through historical accounts of the late 1600s, specifically considering what aspects of cultural origins have persisted or have changed through time. This review concentrates on the contributions from archaeology, although other studies have offered supporting narratives.
Third Marianas History Conference, 2017, Book 2 of 3
access online through GUAMPEDIA
http://www.guampedia.com/3rd-marianas-history-conference-2017/
Third Marianas History Conference, 2017, Book 2 of 3
access online through GUAMPEDIA
http://www.guampedia.com/3rd-marianas-history-conference-2017/
Research Interests:
At the Unai Bapot Site of the Mariana Islands, new excavation has clarified the oldest known instance of a residential habitation prior to 1500 B.C. in the Remote Pacific, previously difficult to document in deeply buried layers that... more
At the Unai Bapot Site of the Mariana Islands, new excavation has clarified the oldest known instance of a residential habitation prior to 1500 B.C. in the Remote Pacific, previously difficult to document in deeply buried layers that originally had comprised near-tidal to shallow subtidal zones. The initial habitation at this site, as well as at others in the Mariana Islands, pre-dated the next Remote Oceanic archaeological evidence by about four centuries and in an entirely different part of the Pacific than previously had been claimed. The newest excavation at Unai Bapot in 2016 has revealed the precise location of an ancient seashore habitation, containing dense red-slipped pottery, other artefacts, food midden, and arrangements of hearths, pits, and post moulds in three distinguishable archaeological layers all pre-dating 1100 B.C. and extending just prior to 1500 B.C. The new discoveries are presented here in detail, as a substantive basis for learning about a rarely preserved event of the initial cultural inhabitation of a region, in this case in the Remote Oceanic environment of the world with its own set of unique challenges.
Research Interests: Archaeology, Prehistoric Archaeology, Southeast Asian Studies, Environmental Archaeology, Archaeological Stratigraphy, and 7 moreAsia Pacific Region, Southeast Asian Archaeology, Coastal and Island Archaeology, Oceania (Anthropology), Migrations (Archaeology), Pacific Islands, and Pacific Islands Archaeology
This cranio-morphometric study emphasizes a “two-layer model” for eastern Eurasian anatomically modern human (AMH) populations, based on large datasets of 89 population samples including fndings directly from ancient archaeological... more
This cranio-morphometric study emphasizes a “two-layer model” for eastern Eurasian anatomically modern human (AMH) populations, based on large datasets of 89 population samples including fndings directly from ancient archaeological contexts. Results suggest that an initial “frst layer” of AMH had related closely to ancestral Andaman, Australian, Papuan, and Jomon groups who likely entered this region via the Southeast Asian landmass, prior to 65–50kya. A later “second layer” shared strong cranial afnities with Siberians, implying a Northeast Asian source, evidenced by 9kya in central China and then followed by expansions of descendant groups into Southeast Asia after 4kya. These two populations shared limited initial exchange, and the second layer grew at a faster rate and in greater numbers, linked with contexts of farming that may have supported increased population densities.
Clear dichotomization between the two layers implies a temporally deep divergence of distinct migration routes for AMH through both southern and northern Eurasia.
Clear dichotomization between the two layers implies a temporally deep divergence of distinct migration routes for AMH through both southern and northern Eurasia.
Research Interests:
This study presents the first direct evidence of millet cultivation in Neolithic southeast coastal China. Macroscopic plant remains and phytoliths, together with direct accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) radiocarbon dates on crops, have... more
This study presents the first direct evidence of millet cultivation in Neolithic southeast coastal China. Macroscopic plant remains and phytoliths, together with direct accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) radiocarbon dates on crops, have shown that both foxtail millet and broomcorn millet were cultivated with rice in the Huangguashan and Pingfengshan sites in Fujian province around 4000–3500 cal. BP. Ratios of different parts of crop remains revealed that crop processing activities such as dehusking and sieving were conducted within the site and thus demonstrated the local production of these crops. The new data, especially the discovery of foxtail millet and broomcorn millet, have greatly changed the current knowledge about the ancient distribution of millet in South China and have now identified southeast China among the potential source-region of Neolithic crops transported overseas to Taiwan and Island Southeast Asia. This study further draws a potential dispersal route of Austronesian languages and people from southern China through Taiwan throughout Southeast Asia.
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This paper addresses a major gap in our knowledge: the nature of Austronesian societies associated with the spread of the Neolithic through Island Southeast Asia. It addresses this gap by presenting a pilot study on the changing nature of... more
This paper addresses a major gap in our knowledge: the nature of Austronesian societies associated with the spread of the Neolithic through Island Southeast Asia. It addresses this gap by presenting a pilot study on the changing nature of settlement through pottery production from the Neolithic to the Iron Age. A physico-chemical analysis of pottery from the site of Nagsabaran located in Lal-lo, Cagayan Valley, Northern Luzon, Philippines, was undertaken and the data are used to assess models of mobility and sedentism in order to understand the nature of these early Austronesian communities. The research carried out through the physico-chemical analysis suggests more mobile populations during the Neolithic in the Cagayan Valley changing through time to a more sedentary society in the Iron Age.
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Located in the key junction between mainland China and Island Southeast Asia, Taiwan is of great significance for our understanding of the southeastward dispersal of rice agriculture in the prehistoric period. Until now, quite limited... more
Located in the key junction between mainland China and Island Southeast Asia, Taiwan is of great significance for our understanding of the southeastward dispersal of rice agriculture in the prehistoric period. Until now, quite limited archaeobotanical work has been done in this region. In eastern Taiwan, no archaeological evidence of rice agriculture has been obtained, probably owing to the poor preservation conditions for plant macroremains. Here, we report a new discovery of 4200-year-old domesticated rice remains at the Chaolaiqiao site, which for the first time in detail demonstrates the ancient practice of rice agriculture in this area. Based on a combination of factors that include a rice-based plant subsistence strategy, the mid-Holocene limits to available farmland and the fast-growing Taiwan Neolithic population from settlement pattern data, we infer that this contradiction in eastern Taiwan between land-dependent agriculture and limited suitable farmland encouraged a population movement out of Taiwan during the Middle Neolithic period.
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What can we learn about the ancient landscapes of our world, and how can those lessons improve our future in the landscapes that we all inhabit? Those questions are addressed in this book, through a practical framework of concepts and... more
What can we learn about the ancient landscapes of our world, and how can those lessons improve our future in the landscapes that we all inhabit? Those questions are addressed in this book, through a practical framework of concepts and methods, combined with detailed case studies around the world.