P-15

The Blihun Hanben Site - A Trade Hub and Craftspeople Settlement in the Metal Period of Taiwan

Liu Jiun-Yu1 & Liu Yi-Chang2

1Burke Museum, University of Washington, U.S.A.

2Institute of Archaeology, National Cheng Kung University, Taiwan

The Blihun Hanben (BHB) site is Taiwan's latest national archaeological heritage. The site became a designated heritage because of the marvelous findings during the salvage excavation from 2012 to 2018. The excavation covered about 4000 m2 with one historical and three prehistoric cultural layers: L2 (premodern historical), L4 (1600-1000BP, Metal period), L6 (1800-1600BP, transitional period from Neolithic to Metal period), and L8 (-1800BP, final stage of Neolithic period). L4 yielded artifacts like ceramic, lithic tools, fauna remains, flora remains, glass beads, agate beads, and metal objects (bronze and iron) were found. In addition to those portable remains, building structures on artificial platforms, indoor burials, and metallurgical remains (slag, hearth, and 'furnace') were recovered. L6 has even thicker cultural deposit than L4 and yielded similar artifact assemblage to L4 but with limited metallurgical remains. Weight by artifact type is about 9000 kg of ceramics, 14,000 kg of lithics, 50 kg of faunal remains, and 2400 kg of iron slag. As mentioned, building structures, numerous hearths, and two smelting furnaces for iron production were uncovered. Finally, 214 burials were unearthed. We have confirmed the cultural affiliation of L4 to the know Shihsanhang culture Pulowan sub-assemblage and uncovered the association of L6 to the recently proposed Upper Huakangshan culture in eastern Taiwan. Ceramic analyses indicate frequent interactions between the BHB people (both L4 and L6) and the other ancient communities in northern and eastern Taiwan. As for the result of metallurgical analyses, primary and secondary smithing of bloom and iron objects happened mainly in L4 but not in L6. Ancient DNA analysis indicates the close relationship between the BHB people and modern Amis, Tai-Kadai, and northern Luzon communities.