Glass beads from Guishan in Iron Age Taiwan: Inter-regional bead exchange between Taiwan, Southeast Asia and beyond

Archaeological excavations at Guishan in the southern end of Taiwan have recovered more than a hundred glass beads dating to mid-1st millennium CE. This research investigates exchange between Guishan, eastern and Southeast Asia, by analysing styles, chemical composition microstructure 64 from using SEM-EDS, EPMA LA-ICP-MS. The findings suggest that with an m-Na-Al v-Na-Ca are most common, supporting evidence for bead originated South Asia Western Asia. Furthermore, glasses were coloured copper, different types copper-based additives may been used colours, indicating be derived multiple production centres or workshops via Conversely, compositions other contemporary sites is less evident except one type yellow containing bone ash which different. bone-ash firstly identified Iron Age as well around China Sea region. Its counterparts also found archaeological southeastern coastal Taiwan, might indicate small scale exchange. together suggests dynamic network beyond.