Taiwan Historical Archaeology: Why It Matters

CHAO Chin-yung

As one the fastest developed sub-discipline of Taiwan archaeology, historical archaeology covers the period between the arrival of the VOC and the end of World War II, or from the early 17th century to the mid 20th century. This period was marked by profound and rapid social, political, and economic changes, as Taiwanese society became colonized and industrialized under various state powers and agents. This paper will present recent developments in this field and focus on several major themes, including colonial archaeology, industrial archaeology, state apparatus, and ceramic consumption patterns.