Forging the Metal Age in Taiwan: Reflections and Emerging Research Pathways

LIU Jiun-yu

Taiwan’s Metal Age (c. 1800–800 BP) marks a pivotal transition from Neolithic traditions to protohistoric and later historical periods. Archaeological investigations and archaeometric studies over the past decades indicate that the development of Taiwan’s Metal Age followed a regionally differentiated trajectory across the island. Key sites such as Shihsanhang and Blihun Hanben reveal substantial ironworking activities and demonstrate that important parts of the iron production chain operated within Taiwan. However, the archaeological record is dominated by smithing remains, while evidence for smelting remains comparatively limited. Current evidence points to a concentration of major ironworking sites and smaller slag-yielding sites in northeastern and northern Taiwan, while comparable evidence is scarce in central, southern, and mountainous regions. This paper reviews major advances in the archaeology of Taiwan’s Metal Age and traces how the field has moved from debates over provenance toward questions of technological practice, localization, and regional social change. These findings suggest that a limited number of ironworking localities coexisted with broader regions where iron was mainly reworked and circulated within local contexts. These patterns suggest that technological change reshaped earlier tool systems, material culture, and regional exchange networks during Taiwan’s Metal Age. They also open new questions about social differentiation, economic organization, and the historical processes through which indigenous iron-making practices were transformed or abandoned. Future research will benefit from integrating excavation data, metallurgical analyses of artefacts and slag, and island-wide comparative databases to clarify the multiple pathways through which iron-making technologies entered and were localized in Taiwan.