The Shihsanhang Museum of Archaeology () is an

archaeological museum An archaeology museum is a museum that specializes in the display of archaeological Types Many archaeology museum are in the open air, such as the Ancient Agora of Athens and the Roman Forum. Others display artifacts inside buildings, such as Na ...

Bali District Bali District () is a suburban district in northwestern New Taipei, Taiwan. In Taiwanese Hokkien, it was known as ''Pat-lí-hun'' (八里坌) during the rule of the Qing dynasty. History Based on examinations of grave goods it is believed tha ...

, New Taipei, Taiwan. The museum conserves and displays artifacts from the Shihsanhang archaeological site.

History

Modern

The origins of the museum date back to excavations undertaken at Shihsanhang in 1990. The Shihsanhang Museum was built in 1998.Shihsanhang Museum of Archaeology

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It includes a "Bridge of Time", that allows visitors to travel back through time to explore its civilization and culture. In 2017, the museum became the first museum exhibiting its artifacts outside Taiwan when they held an exhibition in Miyazaki Prefecture,

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

at the Saitobaru Archaeological Museum displaying 105 artifact sets from the museum in Taiwan. The exhibition was jointly organized by scholars and experts from both sides.

Ancient

Prehistoric Shihsanhang was a wealthy settlement, it was only one of two communities in Taiwan to master iron smelting. The ironwares they produced were traded throughout Taiwan. This wealth is responsible for the large number of grave goods buried with the dead at Shihsanhang which form the core of the Museum's current collection.

Geology

The museum is located at the foot of Guanyin Mountain near the mouth of the

Tamsui River The Tamsui River (alternatively Danshui River, ) is third longest river in Taiwan after Zhuoshui River and Gaoping River, with a total length of , flowing through Hsinchu County, Taoyuan, Taipei and New Taipei City. It is located in northern pa ...

Archeology

The archaeological site dates back 1,800 years to the Iron Age. Over 300 skeletons have been unearthed dating from 1,800 to 600 years old. The burial customs of the people at Shihsanhang were unique, according to Kuo Su-chiu “All the skeletons were buried in a fetal position: on their sides with their limbs bent. Except one, an adult female, who was buried on her front and with her head turned to one side, which is typical of the contemporaneous Fantsuyuan (番仔園) Culture of central western Taiwan.”

Architecture

The architecture of the museum has an archaeological theme, reflecting ancient civilization in Taiwan islandwide and in its outlying minor islands.

Transportation

The museum is accessible by bus from

Guandu Station The Taipei Metro Guandu station (formerly transliterated as Kuantu Station until 2003) is located in Beitou District, Taipei, Taiwan. It is a station on the Tamsui Line. In the past, the station belonged to the now-defunct TRA Tamsui Line. Stati ...

of Taipei Metro.

References

External links

{{commons category
Museum website
Museums established in 1998 Infrastructure completed in 1998 Archaeological museums in Taiwan Museums in New Taipei Archaeological sites in Taiwan Museums established in 2003 Prehistoric Taiwan