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| National Museum of Prehistory | |
|---|---|
| Name | National Museum of Prehistory |
| Established | 2002 |
| Location | Taitung County, Taiwan |
| Type | Archaeology museum |
National Museum of Prehistory is a major archaeological museum located in Taitung County, Taiwan, focused on the prehistoric cultures of Taiwan and Southeast Asia. The museum presents artifacts, reconstructions, and research relating to human occupation, aboriginal cultures, and maritime exchanges, and collaborates with regional museums, universities, and cultural agencies. It serves as a hub for exhibitions, fieldwork, conservation, and public outreach, linking local communities, indigenous organizations, and international research centers.
The museum was founded following initiatives by the Council for Cultural Affairs (Taiwan), the Taitung County Government, and the Academia Sinica to preserve artifacts from archaeological sites such as Beinan Site, Baxiandong, and other excavations. Early supporters included the Ministry of the Interior (Taiwan), the National Museum of Taiwan History, and the Ministry of Education (Taiwan), while academic partners comprised National Taiwan University, Tunghai University, National Cheng Kung University, and the Institute of Archaeology, Academia Sinica. Major archaeological campaigns linked to the museum involved collaborations with the Peoples Republic of China’s institutions, the University of Tokyo, the Australian National University, and the Smithsonian Institution. Funding and policy frameworks drew on laws and programs such as the Cultural Heritage Preservation Act (Taiwan), the Asian Cultural Council, and grant support from foundations like the Ford Foundation, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and the Japan Foundation. Early exhibitions were curated with consultants from the British Museum, the Musée du Quai Branly, and the National Palace Museum (Taiwan).
The museum's architecture was developed through design competitions involving firms with links to the Taipei City Government and international practices influenced by projects such as the National Museum of China and the Hong Kong Museum of History. Landscape design integrated references to the Beinan River basin, the Central Mountain Range (Taiwan), and indigenous Ami people and Paiwan people spatial concepts, coordinating with the Taitung County Cultural Affairs Bureau and local tribal councils. The site plan includes exhibition halls, conservation laboratories, an auditorium, and outdoor trails with replicas of archaeological contexts akin to open-air displays at the National Museum of Archaeology (Lesvos), the Fukui Prefectural Dinosaur Museum, and the Puy du Fou historical park. Grounds host experimental archaeology areas inspired by techniques from the Louvre Abu Dhabi collaborative programs and botanical plantings connected to the Tropical Agriculture Research and Education Center.
The permanent collection features artifacts from the Beinan Site, including slate coffins, jade ornaments, pottery sherds, and ritual objects comparable to finds at the Hong Kong Museum of History, the National Museum of Anthropology (Mexico), and the Australian Museum. Exhibits document Paleolithic to Neolithic transitions, linking to research at the University of Cambridge, the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, the University of California, Berkeley, and the National Museum of Natural History (Smithsonian). The museum showcases lithic technology, shellware assemblages, and maritime exchange networks connecting to Philippines archaeology, Borneo prehistory, Ryukyu Islands archaeology, and the Maritime Silk Road. Special exhibitions have featured loans and partnerships with institutions such as the British Museum, the National Museum of Korea, the Tokyo National Museum, and the National Museum of China, and thematic displays have examined contacts with cultures represented at the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, University of Cambridge, the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, and the National Museum of Ethnology (Japan). The collection includes ethnographic items related to Ami people, Atayal people, Bunun people, Rukai people, and Truku people material culture, complementing comparative displays referencing exhibits from the Field Museum, the Royal Ontario Museum, and the National Museum of Anthropology (Spain).
Research programs are coordinated with the Institute of History and Philology, Academia Sinica, the National Museum of Natural Science, and international laboratories such as the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, the University of Oxford, and the University of Cambridge. Conservation labs employ methods from the Getty Conservation Institute and collaborate on radiocarbon dating with the Beta Analytic network, stable isotope analysis with the W. M. Keck Isotope Laboratory, and ancient DNA studies with the Wellcome Sanger Institute. Fieldwork priorities include site surveys, stratigraphic excavation, geoarchaeology, and paleoenvironmental reconstruction in partnership with the Central Weather Administration (Taiwan), the Academia Sinica Institute of Earth Sciences, and the National Taiwan Ocean University. The museum publishes findings in journals such as Antiquity, Journal of Archaeological Science, and Quaternary International and participates in conferences like the World Archaeological Congress and the International Union for Quaternary Research.
Educational outreach engages schools coordinated through the Ministry of Education (Taiwan), local education bureaus, and community centers of the Ami people, Puyuma people, and Sakizaya people. Programs include school tours, teacher workshops modeled after curricula from the British Museum, family activities inspired by the Smithsonian Institution's approach, and summer internships with universities such as National Chengchi University and National Dong Hwa University. Public lectures feature scholars from the Australian National University, the University of Tokyo, Stanford University, and the University of Pennsylvania, while cultural events involve performances by groups represented at the National Center for Traditional Arts (Taiwan) and collaborations with the Taitung County Government.
The museum is accessible via the Taitung Station and regional transit linked to the Taiwan Railways Administration and is located near attractions including the Taitung Forest Park, the Jhiben Hot Spring, and the Sanxiantai. Facilities include an auditorium, a research library with cooperation from the National Central Library (Taiwan), and a museum shop offering publications similar to those found at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the British Museum. Visitor services coordinate with the Taitung Tourist Center and follow accessibility guidelines promoted by the Council of Indigenous Peoples (Taiwan). Opening hours, ticketing, and guided tour schedules are administered in line with policies from the Ministry of Culture (Taiwan).
Category:Museums in Taitung County Category:Archaeological museums