The Pre-Austronesian ‘Liangdao Man’

This book adopts a comprehensive approach, drawing from archaeology, physical anthropology, human genetics, linguistics, cultural anthropology, ethnology and ethnography, to explore the Austronesian link of ‘Liangdao Man,’ and the origins of Austronesian language groups. Due to their dating 2,300~1,500 years earlier than Austronesian-speaking peoples, these two individuals should be Pre-Austronesian or Proto-Austroasiatic. The Matsu archipelago is situated off Fuzhou City's estuary in Fujian Province. In 2011–2012, the author unearthed two human skeletons, ‘Liangdao Man 1’ and ‘Liangdao Man 2,’ aged 8,300 and 7,500 years, respectively, on Liangdao Island, one of these islands. DNA analysis revealed that haplogroups E and R9 were identified, linking them to Austronesians of Taiwan aborigines’ maternal lineage.

The Matsu Archipelago in The Maritime Archaeology.- The Archaeology of Matsu Archipelago.- Physical Anthropology of the Two 'Liangdao Man' Individuals.- DNA Analysis of 'Liangdao Man'.- The origins of the 'Liangdao Man' Population and its East Asian Descendants.- 'Liangdao Man' from Physical and Cultural Anthropological Perspectives.- Results and Conclusion.

Jonas C.Y. Chen, from 1955 to 2001, worked in the Institute of History and Philology, Academia Sinica, throughout his life. After retirement, Jonas C.Y. Chen served as Adjunct Research Fellow for15 years (2001-2016) in the same institute; Visiting Professor, School of Humanities, Xiamen University (January 2010-December 2012); Honorary Research Fellow, the Archaeology and Fine Art Centre, Chinese University of Hong Kong (1997-2020); Fulbright Scholar, visited Department of Anthropology, UCLA, and Department of Anthropology, University of Arizona (October 1987-July 1998). In 2017, Jonas C.Y. Chen won the National Cultural Heritage Preservation Award from Ministry of Culture, Taiwan. ROC.