Resumo
Glass ornaments were brought into Taiwan during the Iron Age. T, this study investigates the long- term change history of exchange networks between Taiwan, Southeast Asia and beyond, through glass ornaments from the Heping island and Blihun Hanben. Heping Island is a small island located offin northern Taiwan. Recent excavations have discovered two sites, with numerous glass ornaments dating from the early Iron Age to the early modern period (2000-200 BP). Blihun Hanben is situated on the seashore in northeastern Taiwan; glass ornaments from this site are from the Culture Layer I (1470-1100 BP, Iron Age). Over 60 samples from the two sites at Heping island, including glass beads, earrings, and bangles, underwent scientific analyses using Laser Ablation - Inductively Coupled Plasma - Mass Spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) and Scanning Electron Microscopy - Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (SEM-EDS), while materials from Blihun Hanben offers a comparative dataset from stylistic perspectives for Iron Age assemblages. The stylistic study reveals that the samples from Blihun Hanben are mostly drawn beads, while beads from Heping Island are both wound and drawn, indicating different manufacturing traditions associated with different regions or periods. In terms of earrings and bangles, the samples from Blihun Hanben exhibit a greater diversity than those from Heping island. Our analytical results reveal a long-term transition of glass recipes from the 1st – 2nd millennium CE, suggesting that during the first millennium CE, m-Na-Al glass dominated, while plant ash glass gradually increased from mid-1st millennium CE, and potassium lead silicate glass became the dominant type in the second millennium CE. The results further indicate the transition of the glass ornaments exchange networks in Taiwan, from a connection towards Southeast and South Asia in the earlier period, to gradually intense participation with a closer connection formed with China or Chinese merchants from Southeast Asia in the 2nd millennium CE. This study provides an abundance of data particularly in the second millennium CE, which is a significant research gap in studying the study of glass exchange in both Taiwan and Southeast Asia, and offers a clearer picture of exchange network changes reflected by glass recipes spanning more than a thousand years. Future elemental analysis of the Blihun Hanben materials will further enhance our understanding of glass exchange between northeastern Taiwan and oversea communities.
Palabras chave
Taiwan. Exchange. Glass. Beads.