S32-5

A Jigsaw Puzzle of Cultural Interactions: New Data From the Excavation of the BaiShoulian Site (2900-2700 BP) on the East Coast of Taiwan

National Museum of Prehistory, Taiwan

The island of Taiwan is located between the Pacific Ocean and Southeast Asia, but it seems difficult to clarify the interaction of various cultural elements between the regions. This paper will focus on the data after 3000 BP. In addition to compiling the research conducted so far, our museum's excavations at the BaiShoulian and ChungYung sites on the east coast in 2018 revealed the remains of ceramic handles with punctate patterns, stone artifacts, with accompanying dates of 2900-2700 BP from the cultural layer. These ceramic remains can be attributed to a large interactive circle from the Yuanshan site in northern Taiwan through the northeast region to the east coast around 3000 years ago. A distinctive double-mouthed, round-bellied jar with a foot ring, which is exclusive to the Yuanshan site, has been mentioned by many scholars as appearing in northern New Guinea. Following this line of inquiry, the study of traditional pottery production in New Guinea seems to provide a lot of information: the pottery production made by the Austronesian-speaking groups, paddle-and-anvil technique, made by women, and concentrated on the north coast. Similar pottery was also produced by women in eastern Taiwan. However, this fragmentary evidence is only the beginning of the puzzle, and more detailed chronological dating and cultural information is needed to construct a more comprehensive interpretation in the future.