摘要
This is report of the test excavations at the Ting-kan-tsu site. Located in the west of the town of Tsao-t'un, Nant'ou prefecture, the Ting-kan-tsu site was first discovered by the author in 1972 when he was conducting an archaeological survey in the Wu-hsi river valley. In an attempt to further explore the contents and the date of the site as well as its place in the cultural chronology of west-central Taiwan, the author carried out test excavations at Ting-kan-tsu site in 1975.
Sixteen test pits were excavated, and more than 40,000 potsherds and 200 stone artifacts were uncovered. Ten samples of charcoal were obtained and two of them were submitted for radiocarbon 14 dating. The resultant dates are: 3370±156 B. P. and 3735±144 B. P. (tree-ring calibrated).
Based on the analysis of the cultural remains uncovered and the chronological evidence, the author is able not only to understand the contents and the date of this site but also to further support the opinion suggested by previous scholars that the "Plain Red Ware Culture Phase" was possibly in a transitional position between the "Fine Corded Ware Culture Phase" and the "Grayish Black Ware Culture Phase" in the cultural chronology of west-central Taiwan.