Bridging Sciences and Humanities
Archaeological science has become an essential subject of archaeological research. Since 2007, I started to do archaeology with my material science background. My interest lies in the cultural, social and economic interaction reflected by artefacts in past societies, using scientific methods as research approach. My major research field is in Taiwan, but I also explore the overseas interaction between Taiwan, Southeast Asia and East Asia.
My recent research focuses on the glass artefacts in prehistoric Taiwan and the South China Sea region. By using scientific techniques such as electron microscope and LA-ICP-MS, I integrate the analytical data with archaeological context and establish a preliminary temporal and spatial distribution of glass beads in Iron Age Taiwan. I also discuss the production, consumption and exchange of glass beads in Taiwan and the South China Sea region, together with the related interaction between communities. My future research will be based on this study and focuses on three major aspects. Firstly, I would like to do a more comprehensive and detailed study of glass artefacts from different regions in Taiwan, in order to understand the interaction between Taiwan, Southeast Asia and China. Secondly, I would like to study the cultural relationship and practice between prehistoric glass beads and the heirloom beads in aboriginal societies. Thirdly, I would like to continue my research on reconstructing the glass production around the South China Sea region, to investigate its development and the possible cross-regional exchange of knowledge between Southeast Asia and South Asia. In addition, I will use different analytical methods (e.g. isotope analysis) to obtain information from different perspectives, and also apply the scientific analysis on other inorganic materials such as metal and jade.