Traditions of food consumption among the Neolithic population of the Southern Taiwan (based on materials of the Oluanpi-2 site)

The article presents a report on а field trip of its authors to Pingdong County in the south of Taiwan in the summer of 2019, intended for analyzing the habits of food consumption among the Neolithic inhabitants of the coastal zone of southern Taiwan. The main research focused on the Oluanpi-2 archaeological site on the Cape Oluanpi - the southernmost point of the island. This is one of the earliest Neolithic sites on the island, which makes the materials important for understanding the adaptation processes on the part of the migrants from the mainland to the new environment. The site was inhabited by ca 4500 BP and people lived there continuously until 2500 BP. Various faunal remains and fishing equipment from all four cultural horizons have been analyzed, which made it possible to observe the increase in consumption over time. For interpreting the strategies of fishing and hunting on the part of the ancient population, ethnographic materials, written sources, and personal observations have also been used. Large number of fishing hooks and net sinkers, bones of the 15 species offish, as well as land animals, mollusks, and turtles were found at the Oluanpi-2 site. Net sinkers (242 artifacts) and fishing hooks (58 artifacts) were categorized in accordance with their shapes and material. The comparison of the sizes of fishhooks has shown that one-piece artifacts, for example, those made of shell, were most likely used for catching small fish, while composite artifacts were used for catching deep-sea fish or fish of larges sizes. Deer were a main source of meat in the diet among land animals which also included wild boar and muntjac.