NMH hosts Liang Islanders exhibition

2014-12-23

An exhibition was launched recently on relics of Liang Islanders, the oldest complete human skeletons ever found in Taiwan, at the National Museum of History in Taipei City.

The highlight of the 118 sets of artifacts displayed is the 3-D life-size replicas of the human remains dating to more than 8,000 years ago. There are also everyday items and tools made of materials such as animal horn, pottery and stone.

These artifacts were unearthed in 2011 and 2012 on shell mounds from the Matsu Archipelago’s Liang Island by a team led by Chen Chung-yu, a research fellow at Academia Sinica’s Institute of History and Philology.

“We are extremely excited by the findings and are eager to share them with the public,” a NMH official said. “The discovery marks a breakthrough in uncovering the country’s archaeological origins and their importance in related studies across Southeast Asia.”

Referred to as Liang Islanders No. 1 and No. 2, the man and woman were proven to have lived about 8,200 years ago and between 7,530 and 7,800 years ago, respectively. “The remains are extremely important as they are around 2,000 years older than the next oldest skeletons we have, which date to around 6,000 years ago.”

Through maternal mitochondrial DNA testing of finger bones, it has been determined that the closest genetic fit of the islanders is the indigenous peoples of Taiwan, the Philippines and other lands populated by Austronesian-speaking peoples, according to the official.

“The results indicate that the southeastern coastal area of the Asian continent was among the staging grounds as far back as 10,000 years ago for those migrating peoples, who now inhabit oceanic regions stretching halfway around the globe,” she said.

This latest evidence is particularly significant for its unique anthropological perspective in the ongoing debate about the ancestry and movements of Austronesian-speaking peoples.

The NMH pledged to continue its efforts to further unlock the mystery of Liang Islanders. “We will organize more events on the reconstruction of the natural and social environments at the times when the two islanders lived,” the official said.

Source: Taiwan Today (http://taiwantoday.tw/ct.asp?xItem=225436&CtNode=413)