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International workshop on prehistoric ceramics held in Taitung

  • Date:2018-11-06
Anna Pineda, research associate at the University of the Philippines Diliman.

A number of renowned archeologists from France and the Philippines flew to Taiwan to attend the two-day International Workshop on Ceramic Technology organized by the Taitung-based National Museum of Prehistory (NMP) on Nov. 5 and 6.

 

The workshop was offered in three sections, starting with a three-part discussion on ceramic technology in Southeast Asia. Anna Pineda, research associate at the University of the Philippines Diliman, presented the burial jars of the Philippines; Rhayan Gatbonton Melendres, assistant professor at University of the Philippines, talked about the technical choices of Boholano potters; and Aude Faverau, fellow at the University of the Philippines, introduced the impressed potteries of the Metal Age in Southeast Asia.

 

The second session devoted to the ceramic technology in Taiwan saw presentations on the impressed potteries of the Metal Age in southeastern Taiwan by Lee Kun-sheu and Yeh Mei-chen, NMP researchers; changes in ceramic style in southwestern Taiwan by Chu Cheng-yi, CEO of Archaeo Cultures; and the finely corded wares of Dulan Bay in eastern Taiwan by Wu I-lin, NMP research assistant.

 

The last session on the prehistoric technology used to make ceramic wares offered insights from Catherine Lara, associate researcher of Paris Nanterre University, on the ethno-archaeological examples unearthed from South America; and from Deng Shu-hui, art director of the Taiwan-based Zhunan Snake Kiln, who spoke of his own kiln experiments.

 

NMP Director Wang Chang-hua explained that as the nation's first museum dedicated to prehistory and indigenous cultures, the National Museum of Prehistory has received funding from the Ministry of Culture to establish an archaeology-themed artist residency program, host academic workshops and forums, and launch a multilingual platform for international research and exchanges.

 

The platform, she added, will be offered in Mandarin Chinese, English, and French and be combined with the museum's existing 3D database of digitized artifacts. The adoption of professionalism, transparency, and internationalization will help revitalize Taiwan's archaeological collections and decode the island's prehistory with the aid and collective input of foreign scholars, Wang pointed out.