Revisiting Neolithic Taiwan: Archaeological Research and New Perspectives

CHIANG Chih-hua

This paper reviews recent developments and emerging research trends in the study of the Neolithic in Taiwan. Traditionally, the period has been narrowly defined in technological terms—the transition from pottery to iron—reflecting a reliance on linear evolutionary models that overlook Taiwan’s distinct trajectory, where bronze production and state-level polities are absent. Consequently, the social organization and subsistence practices of Neolithic societies remain undertheorized, underscoring the need to move beyond normative models and reassess existing frameworks. Fueled in part by the expansion of salvage archaeology, itself shaped by Taiwan’s shifting political and economic contexts, rapidly growing datasets now offer a more nuanced understanding of Neolithic development and cultural diversity. This paper examines the field across three dimensions: historical context, theoretical perspectives, and methodological approaches. While earlier interpretations were grounded in Japanese colonial and Chinese nationalist traditions, recent research increasingly situates the Neolithic within debates on Austronesian origins. However, such framing risks reducing diverse archaeological trajectories to a singular narrative. Although culture-historical approaches remain influential, a growing body of work has begun to explore socio-environmental dynamics and social relations. Methodologically, ceramic typology continues to dominate, but the increasing use of spatial and scientific analyses points to the need for more robust and diversified theoretical frameworks.