| Abstract: |
Sham Wan ("deep bay" in Chinese) is situated on the southern, sparsely inhabited half of Lamma Island (fig. 1). Evidence of prehistoric activity on this site was first reported by William Meacham in March 1971. Although there were no surface finds, several small test pits yielded prehistoric material, and the concentration of artifacts at 60 cm and below indicated an undisturbed cultural deposit. In May 1971, three trial pits were excavated by the Hong Kong Archaeological Society. A geological investigation and a survey of the site were carried out by C. L. So, T. N. Chiu, and students from the Department of Geology and Geography at Hong Kong University, and a full-scale excavation was undertaken in November and December of that year. As the excavation proceeded, it became apparent that a sequence of prehistoric and protohistoric cultures was observable at this site, and that there was a regular habitation or activity in the area from recent times back as far as perhaps 6000 years.
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