The beginnings of archaeology in Taiwan
How did people live before there were written records? Through researching archaeological excavations and artefacts we can come to understand prehistoric peoples and cultures. The origins of Taiwanese archaeology can be traced to the start of the Japanese Colonial Period‚ when Dennojou Awano unearthed prehistoric stone tools at Zhishanyan‚ Taipei. In 1928‚ Taipei Imperial University (Taihoku Imperial University) established the Study of Local Peoples course in the Faculty of Literature and Politics (National Taiwan University’s Department of Anthropology’s s predecessor)‚ taught by Professor Nenozo Utsushikawa and Mr. Nobuto Miyamoto‚ who did varied teaching‚ research and academic publication work. At the same time more formal excavation work started to take place. 
Taipei Imperial University’s Faculty of Literature and Politics Building.
(Image Source and Archiving Institute: Institute of Taiwan History)
In 1931‚ Nobuto Miyamoto‚ Nenozo Utsushikawa and Jun Miyahara excavated Kentingliao (now called the Kentingliao Prehistoric Site) on the eastern bank of what is now called Shiniu Creek‚ about 1000 meters from Nanwan to the south‚ covering an area of about 0.3 square kilometres. The excavations at that time simply consisted of the cleaning and collection of stone coffin burials‚ human bones and artefacts‚ which no longer correspond to modern archaeological research methods and technical standards. However‚ the process of excavating the Kentingliao site is still widely considered to be the first large scale excavation in Taiwan’s archaeological history to be carried out by an academic unit. In order to protect it‚ the site was listed as a ‘Nationally Designated Historical and Natural Monument’ in 1935 by the Taiwan Governor-General’s Office (Kentingliao Stone Age site). Unfortunately‚ because of the war‚ no formal‚ detailed reports of that excavation work were ever produced. Some of the excavation reports‚ specimens and artefacts of that year can be seen in National Taiwan University’s Department of Anthropology (in the form of glass plate negatives‚ small beads‚ bell-shaped jade beads‚ Kenting style pendants‚ pottery‚ Jomon pottery‚ stone coffins‚ human skeletons‚ shell bracelets and polished stone）‚ the College of Medicine (human remains) and in many Japanese research institutes. 
Kentingliao site’s stone coffins; the man pictured is Mr. Jun Miyahara.
(Image Source and Archiving Institute: Anthropological Collection Information System ‚ National Taiwan University ，http://catalog.digitalarchives.tw/item/00/4d/b1/50.html)
Jomon pottery excavated from the Kentingliao site (left)‚
pottery from a stone coffin (right).
(Image Source and Archiving Institute: Anthropological Collection Information System ‚ National Taiwan University ，http://catalog.digitalarchives.tw/item/00/4d/b6/be.html)
Kentingliao Prehistoric Site’s current situationIn recent years‚ there has been a lot of research directed at Kentingliao. For example‚ in 1977 Li Guang-zhou conducted another excavation in which shell specimens were carbon dated using the Carbon-14 system‚ and the result was 3‚985 ± 145B.P. [1] (half-life of 5‚570 years)‚ indicating that the site is at least 4000 years old. After observing human bones and other excavated artefacts‚ it was surmised that Kenting’s prehistoric inhabitants may have extracted teeth‚ chewed betel nut and their lifestyle may have included hunting‚ gathering and farming. In 1980‚ Professor Song Wenxun published an article‚ integrating Taiwan’s various regions’ prehistoric cultures and time distribution‚ including Kenting’s site in Niuchouzi culture‚ of the Neolithic era.
In the last 10 to 20 years‚ due to the large scale opening up and development of Kentingliao’s neighbouring areas‚ the site has been seriously damaged; in 2004‚ Professor Lian Zhao-mei went to Kenting to assess the site’s condition‚ the site had regrettably been scattered and fragmented. In 2007‚ National Taiwan University published the ‘Taiwan Kenting Neolithic Burial Site Research Report’‚ containing the systematically organised Department of Anthropology’s collection of images‚ specimens and burial information from the 1931 Kentingliao excavation. It also included three modern thematic research papers‚ allowing the public a glimpse at the precious contents of the archaeological dig conducted 80 years ago.
[1] B.P.:Before Present (before 1950)
Source：http://digitalarchives.tw/Exhibition/3363/1.html | 
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