A Comprised Archaeological History of Taiwan through the Long-Term Record of Heping Dao,Keelung

We present the results of six years of archaeological work carried out in Heping Dao, Keelung, northern Taiwan. The site has revealed a rich archaeological record spanning a sequence that comprehends most of the history of Taiwan, including the most salient historical landmarks in it. The study of this long-term sequence of habitation in Heping Dao throughout prehistory to current times, allows us to attempt a historical archaeology of the longue duree of the place that in turn enables the establishment of comparisons between periods and raising of specific questions, among them: the general understanding of cultural transformation along the Neolithic and the Iron Age, and in turn the transition Iron Age/Aboriginal historic times in Taiwan, which in our view has to be observed as a history of continuity rather than of interruptions; the recognition of the Chinese presence in Taiwan in the pre-European period; the implantation of the European colony and its effects on the local populations; the differing material remains and impacts caused by the presence of pre-European Chinese and the Qing occupation; and the potential for a comparison between the European and the Japanese colonial projects as seen in the material record.     

THE USE OF IMAGE ANALYSIS TO DETERMINE YARN TWIST LEVEL IN ARCHAEOLOGICAL TEXTILES

An analysis of the structure of archaeological textiles can give an insight into different traditions, geographic origins or technologies associated with the textile production. An important parameter in this context is the level and direction of yarn twist. In this paper a new quantitative method of yarn twist measurement is described. Using image analysis techniques a measure of the mean twist level and the variation in twist can be determined. The technique is applied to a selection of woven woollen textiles from the first-century Roman fort at Vindolanda in northern England.