琉球列島與台灣史前關係的再研究：從古代地理意識之角度

A Reappraisal of the Prehistoric Relationship between Taiwan and the Ryukyu Islands: From the Perspective of Geographic Consciousness

有關琉球到星星與台灣的史前關係論述起步甚早，但後續卻不多見，這除了是因為兩地國家、語言的不同所造成的隔閡外，學術上偏好從事邊緣地區和文明中心的關係研究也是原因。因此長久以來，同樣位居文明邊緣的琉球與台灣之間的史前問題相對被忽視，直到近年才略見成果。根據現在一般看法，台、琉兩地之間確實少有具體類似的史前遺物，但是為何如此鄰近的地區卻缺乏往來，這反而是一個值得推敲、需要解釋的問題。另一方面，在琉球的史前研究中存在著一些較為特殊的現象，若干問題甚至難以從一般角度理解，而筆者以為這些卻也是解決台、琉史前關係的重要線索。本文先說明目前琉球考古約旦重要現象與問題，並提出個人看法。接著根據所知的考古資料，嘗試從不同角度解釋台、琉史前關係的疏離現象。結論認為在古代琉球人的地理觀點中，北方才是文化刺激與來源的方向；而當時的台灣已逐漸形成為一個不同的族群群體，這對於琉球人而言，加深了意識上的距離，故無法形成較深度的接觸與往來。

The prehistoric relationship between the Ryukyu Islands and Taiwan has been long known but rarely discussed before recent years. This is due not only to differences between the two areas and their languages, but also to an academic preference to research relations between marginal areas and civilization centers. According to the present viewpoint, there are few specific prehistoric artifacts showing a relationship between Taiwan and the Ryukyu Islands However, such a lack of relations between the two adjacent places is itself something worth explaining. For indeed there are some special phenomena related to prehistoric studies on the Ryukyu Islands that may provide important clues for understanding the relationship between Taiwan and the Ryukyu Islands. This paper begins by reviewing the important archeological phenomena and questions related to the Ryukyu Islands. Secondly, it tries to explain the lack of contact from different perspectives based on the archaeological data The conclusion focuses on the fact that for the Ryukyu Islands, cultural stimulation came primarily from the north, eventually forming a geographic consciousness at the same time that various ethnic groups were forming on Taiwan. For the ancient Ryukyu Islands people, this deepened the mental distance and hindered more intimate connections from being made with Taiwan.