The earliest farming communities in Taiwan practiced a distinctive bio-cultural marker of identit... more The earliest farming communities in Taiwan practiced a distinctive bio-cultural marker of identity, in the form of deliberate anterior teeth extraction. This distinguishing body transformation can be traced back to 4800 years BP in Taiwan and associated with the first Austronesian communities, and it has endured among contemporary Austronesian speakers in Taiwan and extending across the Asia-Pacific region. Through a comprehensive exploration of archaeological and ethnographic evidence, our study highlights how this practice developed in Taiwan over nearly five millennia and furthermore establishes its role in relation to issues of group identity. The results can expand our understanding of cultural practice, identity-forming processes, and migration routes of ancient Austronesian populations across the Asia-Pacific region.
Increases in population size are associated with the adoption of Neolithic agricultural practices... 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.
The global significance of archaeology in Island Southeast Asia has been recognized as central fo... 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.
The selection of a non-shattering phenotype is a pivotal change in the process of rice domesticat... 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.
The global spice trade has played an essential role in world history. However, because of poor pr... 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.
Taiwan is known as the homeland of the Austronesian-speaking groups, yet other populations alread... 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
Research has generally outlined that the Neolithic East Asian farmers expanded into Southeast Asi... 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.
The most westerly Pacific island chain, running from Taiwan southwards through the Philippines, h... 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.
This study presents the first directly dated physical evidence of crop remains from the Early Neo... 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.
Mainland Southeast Asia experienced a long, sustained period of foraging economy before rice and ... 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.
At Serutu Island, a recently discovered stone inscription refers to an unusual voyage of the Mong... 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.
When people first lived in remote tropical seashores, they developed novel adaptations for living... 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
Humans reached the Mariana Islands in the western Pacific by ∼3,500 y ago, contemporaneous with o... 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.
This study reports a cranio-morphometric analysis of female human remains from seven archaeologic... 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.
The long process of rice domestication likely started 10,000-8,000 years ago in China, and the pr... 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.
The earliest farming communities in Taiwan practiced a distinctive bio-cultural marker of identit... more The earliest farming communities in Taiwan practiced a distinctive bio-cultural marker of identity, in the form of deliberate anterior teeth extraction. This distinguishing body transformation can be traced back to 4800 years BP in Taiwan and associated with the first Austronesian communities, and it has endured among contemporary Austronesian speakers in Taiwan and extending across the Asia-Pacific region. Through a comprehensive exploration of archaeological and ethnographic evidence, our study highlights how this practice developed in Taiwan over nearly five millennia and furthermore establishes its role in relation to issues of group identity. The results can expand our understanding of cultural practice, identity-forming processes, and migration routes of ancient Austronesian populations across the Asia-Pacific region.
Increases in population size are associated with the adoption of Neolithic agricultural practices... 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.
The global significance of archaeology in Island Southeast Asia has been recognized as central fo... 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.
The selection of a non-shattering phenotype is a pivotal change in the process of rice domesticat... 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.
The global spice trade has played an essential role in world history. However, because of poor pr... 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.
Taiwan is known as the homeland of the Austronesian-speaking groups, yet other populations alread... 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
Research has generally outlined that the Neolithic East Asian farmers expanded into Southeast Asi... 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.
The most westerly Pacific island chain, running from Taiwan southwards through the Philippines, h... 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.
This study presents the first directly dated physical evidence of crop remains from the Early Neo... 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.
Mainland Southeast Asia experienced a long, sustained period of foraging economy before rice and ... 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.
At Serutu Island, a recently discovered stone inscription refers to an unusual voyage of the Mong... 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.
When people first lived in remote tropical seashores, they developed novel adaptations for living... 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
Humans reached the Mariana Islands in the western Pacific by ∼3,500 y ago, contemporaneous with o... 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.
This study reports a cranio-morphometric analysis of female human remains from seven archaeologic... 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.
The long process of rice domestication likely started 10,000-8,000 years ago in China, and the pr... 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.
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... 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。
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（integra... 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。
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... 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。
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，... 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。
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。
예부터 동남아는 동·서방과 해상에서 교류하는 요지였다. 본고는 동남아를 위주로, 세 개의 문화단계를 나 누어 동남아의 신석기 시대부터 철기시대까지 있었던 교역과 교류 활동을 ... 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.
This cranio-morphometric study emphasizes a “two-layer model” for eastern Eurasian anatomically m... 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...
Any framework of cultural history must build from a starting point of when people first lived in ... 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.
At the Unai Bapot Site of the Mariana Islands, new excavation has clarified the oldest known inst... 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.
This cranio-morphometric study emphasizes a “two-layer model” for eastern Eurasian anatomically m... 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.
This study presents the first direct evidence of millet cultivation in Neolithic southeast coasta... 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.
This paper addresses a major gap in our knowledge: the nature of Austronesian societies associate... 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.
Located in the key junction between mainland China and Island Southeast Asia, Taiwan is of great ... 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.
PALAEOLANDSCAPES IN ARCHAEOLOGY: Lessons for the Past and Future, 2022
What can we learn about the ancient landscapes of our world, and how can those lessons improve ou... 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.
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Papers in English by Hsiao-chun Hung 洪曉純
ancient Austronesian populations across the Asia-Pacific region.
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.
open access: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00438243.2022.2121315
https://taiwaninsight.org/2022/02/25/a-great-linguist-with-a-scientific-mind-and-poets-soul-in-memory-of-professor-robert-blust/
https://doi.org/10.1080/00438243.2021.1930134
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.
ancient Austronesian populations across the Asia-Pacific region.
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.
open access: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00438243.2022.2121315
https://taiwaninsight.org/2022/02/25/a-great-linguist-with-a-scientific-mind-and-poets-soul-in-memory-of-professor-robert-blust/
https://doi.org/10.1080/00438243.2021.1930134
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.
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。
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。
Third Marianas History Conference, 2017, Book 2 of 3
access online through GUAMPEDIA
http://www.guampedia.com/3rd-marianas-history-conference-2017/
Clear dichotomization between the two layers implies a temporally deep divergence of distinct migration routes for AMH through both southern and northern Eurasia.