Chihhua Chiang

The purpose of this dissertation project is to identify characteristics of social organization among the Neolithic people in Taiwan. Specially, it aims to examine potential social differentiation at the inter-household level. Using what anthropologists called “House society” as a model, archaeological implications derived from this model are tested through spatial analysis of archaeological artifacts and features from the Was-san site (ca. 3,500-2,700 BP). This result of analysis should be able to show the differences between the houses and further inform us whether the so-called “House society” existed or not. The significance of this project is framed specifically in terms of the prehistory of the Austronesian culture in East and Southeast Asia. It provides a solid case study to investigate the prehistoric Austronesian social organization using spatial analysis of artifacts and features.