Abstract:

Taiwan is not only rich in jade resources, but also has a history of nearly 5,000 years of jade mining, utilization, and production and circulation. To date, more than 100 sites have been unearthed with jade artifacts. The sites and quantity of jade artifacts from the early and middle Neolithic period are relatively few and scattered. The types of jade artifacts are diverse, mainly simple and small tools and ornaments. These jade artifacts not only reflect the phased development and circulation patterns of Taiwan's jade industry in the Neolithic period, but also some jade artifacts with special shapes or obvious characteristics are important testimonies of cultural exchanges between Taiwan, Southeast and Southern coastal areas of China, and the Southeast Asian islands. 

This talk first describes the main types and phased development of jade artifacts in different areas of Taiwan in chronological order. The second part takes three of the most distinctive prehistoric jade ornaments in Taiwan (bell-shaped bead, horn-shaped bracelet, and ear ornament with human-animal motif) as examples to analyze their shape characteristics, functions, distribution, and exchanges within and beyong the island of Taiwan.

13:00-14:00 GMT | 21st Feb 2024

Please note this talk is online only

Zoom Link: https://zoom.us/j/94170547742?pwd=NWJZdXVXOGExdk5oWlhoaUZuVmN5dz09