The Transition from the Middle to the Late Neolithic in the Yilan Plain, Northeast Taiwan (ca. 4,200 ~3,700 B.P.)

Summary

This is an abstract from the "SAA 2019: General Sessions" session, at the 84th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

This paper discusses the transition from the Middle to the Late Neolithic period in the Yilan Plain, Northeast Taiwan (ca. 4,200~3,700 B.P.) with a specific focus on analysing the material objects excavated from two sites, the Tatsuwei site (4,200-3,700 cal. B.P.) and the Wansan site (3,900-2,500 cal. B.P.). Previous research emphasized the importance of environmental change and the agricultural activity during this transitional period. However, I try to argue that the transition might signify the process of the formation of new social relations. I demonstrate that people began to form smaller social groups in the Late Neolithic period and that the social differentiation became more evident. The difference between the sites clearly displays two contrasting ways of organizing society. The difference is discernible from the comparisons of the tools associated with the subsistence activities, the production and use of nephrite objects, the lithic and ceramic resources utilized, the ornaments people used to adorn themselves, the styles of daily articles they preferred, and the way they interacted with their landscapes. The result of these analyses suggests that the society might have undergone a great transformation during this transition period.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 84th Annual Meeting, Albuquerque, NM (2019)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 24655