8 August 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

Archaeologists have discovered a 4,000-year-old burial ground and shell tool processing site in Taiwan

A 4,000-year-old cemetery and shell tool processing site has been discovered in Kenting National Park, Taiwan’s oldest and southernmost national park on the main island, covering the southernmost region of the island of Taiwan.

The site is the first prehistoric shell tool processing site discovered in Taiwan and the oldest and largest site found on any Pacific island, the National Tsing Hua University announced in a statement.

The site was uncovered in 2017 during a renovation effort to turn Eluanbi Park’s deteriorating shopfronts into new green structures. Contractors discovered human bones, some in slate coffins, and shell tools barely beneath the soil’s surface. Construction work was halted as archaeologists from the Institute of Anthropology at National Tsing Hua University (NTHU) inspected the site.

Photo: National Tsing Hua University’s Facebook page @nthu.tw

Associate Professor Chiu Hung-lin (邱鴻霖) and his team, commissioned for the research, uncovered numerous remains and artifacts between 2019 and 2021, including 51 skeletons, 10 of which were buried in slate coffins along with coral funerary objects.

Among the findings were several finished and unfinished shell tools, as well as relics that indicated it was a site for making those tools, which provided proof that the early inhabitants of Eluanbi used “unique” shell-crafting techniques, Chiu Hung-lin said.

Shell shark tooth ornaments. Photo: National Tsing Hua University’s Facebook page @nthu.tw

The discovery also provided insights into the people’s burial practices at the time, he added, adding that anthropologists may make new discoveries by researching the human remains discovered at the site.

The skeletal remains and shell tools date back about 4,000 years, which means it is the oldest shell tool site found on any island in the Pacific region, Chiu said, adding that it was also the largest.

Fishing-hooks. Photo: National Tsing Hua University’s Facebook page @nthu.tw

Prehistoric fishermen have a special ceramic processing technology. The design and function of the processed shell findings vary greatly.  There are practical tools like a shell adze used for cutting, as well as ornaments like shell and shark tooth pendants. The presence of intermediary steps — semi-finished goods, blanks — as well as processing waste indicates a large manufacturing activity.

Related Articles

The new type of Silla tombs discovered in Gyeongju, South Korea

27 June 2024

27 June 2024

Archaeologists have made a groundbreaking discovery in the ancient capital of the Silla Kingdom (57 BC-AD 935) in the ancient...

1500-year-old Amulet Made to Ward off the Evil Eye in Galilee

26 May 2021

26 May 2021

Discovered about 40 years ago in the Galilee village of Arbel, the necklace sheds light on life 1500 years ago....

Unique and very well-preserved prehistoric engravings found in southwestern Catalonia

23 March 2023

23 March 2023

Significant prehistoric rock art has been discovered in La Febro, in southwestern Catalonia. The team that discovered the art inside...

Mothers in the prehistoric were far more skilled at parenting their children than we give them credit for

24 November 2021

24 November 2021

The death rate of newborns in ancient cultures is not a reflection of inadequate healthcare, sickness, or other issues, according...

8,000-year-old Musical Instrument found in northwest Turkey

4 July 2021

4 July 2021

Archaeologists in northwestern Turkey’s Bilecik on Tuesday discovered a musical instrument that dates back to an estimated 8,000 years. During...

Research Uncovers a Long-Isolated North African Human Lineage in the Central Sahara from Over 7,000 Years Ago

4 April 2025

4 April 2025

A recent study conducted by a team of researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, including senior author...

Archaeologists uncover a 1,500-year-old Lost Mayan city in the Yucatan

28 May 2022

28 May 2022

Researchers have presented their findings after discovering the remnants of an ancient Mayan city on a building site in Mexico....

Game Bone Stones from a Roman Military Strategy Game Found in Hadrianopolis Ancient City, Türkiye

10 January 2025

10 January 2025

During the excavations in Hadrianopolis Ancient City in Eskipazar district of Karabük, 2 bone game stones belonging to the military...

Little Known Powerful Kingdom of History’s “Mitanni Kingdom”

3 February 2021

3 February 2021

Hurrians; They became a state organization with a warrior and ruling class of Indo-Aryan origin who came from North-West Mesopotamia...

2500-year-old ship graffiti sheds light on the history of Izmir in western Turkey

9 March 2022

9 March 2022

In the Smyrna Agora, which is one of the largest ancient agora in the city center of the world and...

A ‘Talismanic Grave Tablet’ Believed to Protect From Evil Found in Silifke Castle

3 September 2024

3 September 2024

During excavations in the Silifke castle located on lies on a hill in the town with the same name in...

Advanced imaging techniques reveal secrets of sealed ancient Egyptian animal coffins

21 April 2023

21 April 2023

Researchers from the British Museum have gained valuable insight into the contents of six sealed ancient Egyptian animal coffins using...

A farmer picking up ‘trash’ in field in Norway discovered a rare Viking Sword

1 June 2024

1 June 2024

A farmer and his son found a rare Viking sword on his family farm in Suldal, Norway. Archaeologists say this...

Statue Head of Goddess Tyche Discovered in Bulgaria

8 December 2024

8 December 2024

A remarkably crafted head of a large statue of the Greek goddess Tyche was recently unearthed during the excavations of...

Mysterious Rods Found in 5,500-year-old Tomb identified to Be Earliest Drinking Straws

19 January 2022

19 January 2022

Russian archaeologists argue that the rods unearthed in an early bronze age tomb in the Caucasus are the oldest known...