臺灣新石器時代豬的畜養和狩獵--利用牙齒標準區分家豬和野豬的研究

邱敏勇

    長久以來，臺灣被一些學者認為是南島語族的原居地或原居地的一部分。古語言學研究指出，養豬是原南島語族的生業之一；大約西元前四千年，臺灣的南島語族已有家豬。

    由於家豬與野豬的骨骼極其相同，野豬在臺灣的歷史久遠且數量又多，使得臺灣新石器時代遺址雖然經常出土豬的骨骸，但它們是飼養的家豬或獵獲的野豬，迭有爭議。

    牙齒因外表有緻密堅硬的琺瑯質，較易保存與辨識。基於非破壞性的考量，利用牙齒萌出、替換與磨蝕標準建立的年齡結構，是辨識家豬與野豬的有效方法。

    本文以芝山巖遺址中距今約三千五百年的芝山巖文化層出土的載齒的豬下顎骨和游離齒為材料，利用牙齒萌出與磨蝕標準建立的年齡結構，佐以可能是獵具的箭頭、兩端尖器的出土，推測芝山巖遺址的豬應該是狩獵來的野豬，以老年豬占絕對多數，青年豬和少年豬居次，壯年豬稀少，幼年豬闕如。這種年齡結構輔以民族誌類比、民族考古學的調查分析和研究，顯示芝山巖遺址的芝山巖文化人獵豬可能以主動的選擇性武器獵為主。

關鍵詞：芝山巖遺址 畜養和狩獵 家豬和野豬 豬的年齡估計 動物考古學

A Study in the Use of Dental Criteria in Distinguishing Between Domestic and Wild Pigs: Evidence from the Chih-shan-yen Site

Min-yung Chiu

Institute of History and Philology, Academia Sinica

    Some Linguists and archaeologists consider Taiwan to be the probable Austronesian homeland.  According to paleolinguistic research, the domestication of pigs is a feature of Proto-Austronesian culture.  Pig remains are frequently recovered from prehistoric sites in Taiwan.  Since wild pigs are abundant in this region, archaeologists debate whether the excavated bones represent wild or domesticated individuals.

    This study focuses on pig remains excavated from the Chih-shan-yen Site (Taipei, Taiwan), which dates back to around 3500 B.P.  Age profiles based on dental criteria are used to estimate the relative importance of pig husbandry in comparison to the hunting of wild boars in Chih-shan-yen subsistence strategies.

    The Chih-shan-yen data reveal a high frequency of old pigs, less high frequency of juvenile and sub-adult pigs, very rare adult pigs, and no infant pigs.  This result, combined with ethnographic records and ethnoarchaeological research, suggests that the Chih-shan-yen pig remains consist mainly of wild pigs, pointing to an emphasis on hunting rather than husbandry in Chih-shan-yen subsistence strategies. 

Keywords: Chih-shan-yen Site, husbandry and hunting, domesticated and wild pigs, age estimation of pigs, zooarchaeology