Prehistory of Taiwan
Encyclopedia
The prehistory of Taiwan includes the late Paleolithic
era. During that time, roughly 50,000 BC to 10,000 BC, people were already living in Taiwan
.
Evidence shows that the earliest archaeological culture
found in Taiwan was the Changbin culture (長濱文化), this prehistoric site was found in Eastern Taiwan. Human skeletons were also found in Zuozhen, Tainan County
(now part of Tainan City, therefore called the Zuojhen people). Yuanshan (圓山) and other prehistoric sites were found in Taipei Basin
. However, there isn't enough evidence to be sure which group of people left the artifacts.
Taiwan is the urheimat
of the Austronesian languages
. Archaeological evidence (e.g.) suggests that speakers of pre-Proto-Austronesian spread from the South Chinese mainland to Taiwan at some time around 8,000 years ago. Evidence from historical linguistics suggests that it is from this island that seafaring peoples migrated, perhaps in distinct waves separated by millennia, to the entire region encompassed by the Austronesian languages . It is believed that this migration began around 6,000 years ago . However, evidence from historical linguistics cannot bridge the gap between those two periods.
Paleolithic
The Paleolithic Age, Era or Period, is a prehistoric period of human history distinguished by the development of the most primitive stone tools discovered , and covers roughly 99% of human technological prehistory...
era. During that time, roughly 50,000 BC to 10,000 BC, people were already living in Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
.
Evidence shows that the earliest archaeological culture
Archaeological culture
An archaeological culture is a recurring assemblage of artifacts from a specific time and place, which are thought to constitute the material culture remains of a particular past human society. The connection between the artifacts is based on archaeologists' understanding and interpretation and...
found in Taiwan was the Changbin culture (長濱文化), this prehistoric site was found in Eastern Taiwan. Human skeletons were also found in Zuozhen, Tainan County
Tainan County
Tainan County was located in southern Taiwan. The name "Tainan" means "Southern Taiwan". Formerly a county of the Republic of China , Tainan County was merged with Tainan City at the end of 2010 to form a single special municipality....
(now part of Tainan City, therefore called the Zuojhen people). Yuanshan (圓山) and other prehistoric sites were found in Taipei Basin
Taipei Basin
Taipei Basin is a geographic region in northern Taiwan. It is the second largest basin in Taiwan. The basin is bounded by Yangmingshan to the north, Linkou mesa to the west, and the Ridge of Xueshan Range to the southeast. The shape of the basin is close to a triangle...
. However, there isn't enough evidence to be sure which group of people left the artifacts.
Taiwan is the urheimat
Urheimat
Urheimat is a linguistic term denoting the original homeland of the speakers of a proto-language...
of the Austronesian languages
Austronesian languages
The Austronesian languages are a language family widely dispersed throughout the islands of Southeast Asia and the Pacific, with a few members spoken on continental Asia that are spoken by about 386 million people. It is on par with Indo-European, Niger-Congo, Afroasiatic and Uralic as one of the...
. Archaeological evidence (e.g.) suggests that speakers of pre-Proto-Austronesian spread from the South Chinese mainland to Taiwan at some time around 8,000 years ago. Evidence from historical linguistics suggests that it is from this island that seafaring peoples migrated, perhaps in distinct waves separated by millennia, to the entire region encompassed by the Austronesian languages . It is believed that this migration began around 6,000 years ago . However, evidence from historical linguistics cannot bridge the gap between those two periods.