Tapenkeng Archaeological Site is located at the foot of Guanyin Mountain on the northwest side in Pitou village. It was discovered by Mr. Sheng Ching-shi and Mr. Wu Ji-rui while conducting a survey and was confirmed as a special site after repeated survey, excavation and research.
Tapenkeng Archaeological Site is one of the most important sites for researching the early stage Neolithic Period in Taiwan. Archeologists called the early stage cultures of the Neolithic Period in Taiwan “Tapenkeng Culture” after Tapenkeng Archaeological Site. The people of Tapenkeng Culture made earthenware by hand, with the clay containing gravel and having quite soft texture and mainly dark red and yellow-brown in color; there are clear identifying characteristics on the outside: waves and geometric patterns, single line ridge decoration and impressed thick cord patterns. The people sourced their food by hunting and gathering, and began farming in the later stage, growing root crops and rice.
Tapenkeng Archaeological Site has six cultural sites on top of each other, including Tapenkeng Culture, Shuntangpu Culture, Yuanshan Culture, Botanical Garden Culture, Shihanhang Culture and modern Han culture, showing that people lived here from around 5,600 years ago to around 350 years ago.
Tapenkeng Archaeological Site was designated a national historical site in 2005 under Article 102 of the Cultural Asset Preservation Act (2022 version) and Article 3 of Guidelines for Review of the Designation and Cancelation of Archeological Sites, and redesignated as a national archeological site in 2017.
(1) Site named after Tapenkeng Culture
(2) A site with six cultural layers on top of each other, rare in Taiwan.
(3) Nationally important and valuable in academic history
(4) An internationally-renowned archeological site
(5) Provides important information for the study of the origin and migration of Austronesian people
Tapenkeng Archaeological Site is located at the foot of Guanyin Mountain on the northwest side at an elevation of 30-100 meters. In front are the mouth of the Tamsui River and the Taiwan Strait. Its location provided prehistoric residents with rich and diverse resources from mountain and sea.
Through research, archeologists recreated the form of the earthenware used by the people of Tapenkeng Culture more than 5,000 years ago.
Tapenkeng Archaeological Site had human activity from 5,250 years ago. The objects left behind piled on top of each other and formed six cultural layers, a rare thing. There is still human activity here to this day, past and present co-existing; it is a “living historical site.”
Historical site education and promotion activities are used to make archeological cultural assets more accessible to people; as well enhancing educational content directed at specific subjects to further the sustainable development objective of preservation of archeological cultural assets.