失焦的物語－「左鎮人再研究」計畫溯源及年代檢測取樣審議的博物館再省思

A ＂Blurred State＂ of Museum Object: The Formulation of ＂Restudying the Tso-chen Man＂ Research Project and Reconsideration of the Examination of Sampling of Dating Tso-chen Man Fossils

吳佰祿(Pai-Lu Wu)

《國立臺灣博物館學刊》 71卷3期 (2018/09) Pp. 27-45

https://doi.org/10.6532/JNTM.201809_71(3).03

摘要

「左鎮人」化石歷來在臺灣史前史中具有的重要意義－臺灣目前發現最早的舊石器時代化石人類，使其成為國立臺灣博物館（以下簡稱「臺博館」）眾多藏品中極富知名度的研究物件之一。然而數十年來南部地區區域考古調查之研究結果，至今仍一直缺乏「左鎮人」相關年代的文化遺物佐證資料，卻令有些研究者對左鎮人化石的文化定位持保留態度。2014年，臺博館與國內體質人類學、考古學、古地質測定學者合作推動了一項以「左鎮人」年代學架構之省思與釐清為核心的研究計畫－「左鎮人再研究」委託研究計畫，即以臺博館藏「左鎮人」化石為主要樣本，追本溯源地處理此臺灣史前史重要的研究議題。「左鎮人再研究」計畫之具體研究結果及其可能具有的臺灣史前史研究意義，已見於2016年出版的正式研究報告。本文則擬由「博物館物件的存在意義」的角度出發，回顧「左鎮人」化石與臺博館的歷史淵源，及此淵源透過「左鎮人再研究」計畫及計畫執行過程中「藏品取樣定年檢測」的相關行政審議過程所反映的博物館思維，藉此檢視博物館與博物館行政思考前瞻性藏品研究課題可能出現的若干概念盲點，以為日後參考。

關鍵字

左鎮人 ； 年代學架構 ； 藏品取樣定年檢測 ； 博物館物件的存在意義

並列摘要

'Tso-chen Man＂ fossils, taken as a whole is one of the well-known research items among the collection of the National Taiwan Museum. For long years, it stands as the presumed earliest evidence of Paleolithic fossil hominid in Taiwan, hence the significant implications in the study of Taiwan Prehistory. Unfortunately, for decades, the relevant evidence of cultural remains for the 'Tso-chen Man＂ was still found lacking in the archaeological investigations conducted in southern Taiwan, and some scholars came to have reservations about the cultural pinpoint of existing 'Tso-chen Man＂ fossils. In 2014, National Taiwan Museum collaborated with other physical anthropologist, archaeologist, and geologist in Taiwan to conduct the ＂Restudying the Tso-chen Man＂ Research Project, which mainly focused on the contemplation and clarification of the chronological framework of 'Tso-chen Man＂. Taking 'Tso-chen Man＂ fossils in the collection of the National Taiwan Museum as the main specimen, the project tried to trace the whole course of this crucial research issue and shed some new light on the study of Taiwan Prehistory. The results of the ＂Restudying the Tso-chen Man＂ Research Project and its potential implications for the advancement of the study of Taiwan Prehistory were published in the final report in 2016. This article seeks to deliver an integral point of view of ＂the meaning of the existence of museum object＂. For this, this article first retraces the historical connection between 'Tso-chen Man＂ fossils and the museum. The second part deals with the current museum thinking process of this connection in the formulation of the ＂Restudying the Tso-chen Man＂ Research Project, and the administrative examination process regarding research design of ＂sampling of dating＂ during the transaction of the project. Consequently, the final part discusses the conceptual pitfalls that may inflicted upon museum administrative sectors when dealing with prospective museum object research issue as witnessed in the ＂Restudying the Tso-chen Man＂ Research Project case, as this may be of heuristic value for future scenario.

並列關鍵字

Tso-chen Man ； chronological framework ； sampling of dating ； the meaning of the existence of museum object

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