Early interactions between Taiwan and the mainland and in the Luzon Strait

Roger Blench, McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research, University of Cambridge

Frank Muyard, EFEO (French School of Asian Studies) / National Central University, Taiwan

The archaeology of coastal China, Taiwan and the Northern Philippines has developed very fast in the last few years. It is probably time to move on from the Austronesian origins debate to a more nuanced picture of interaction in this region, encompassing trade and back movements rather than the progressivist model which has dominated recent discussion. In addition, linguistic debate linking the Austronesian languages to Tai-Kadai is now more advanced, also suggesting a complex series of interactions. The session seeks papers covering this area, and in particular trying to model the Neolithic and Metal Age diversity of Taiwan archaeology.