Category: Articles

Mar 28
Prehistory of Sri Lanka 3: the early period of Prehistoric Research in Sri Lanka

Chandima Bandara Ambanwala Department of Archaeology & Heritage Management, Rajarata University of  Sri Lanka, Mihintale. Translated by. Chryshane Mendis Introduction: Prehistoric Research in Sri Lanka Chandima Ambanwala It is a known fact that different approaches need to be applied in examining a certain subject, therefore in studying a certain subject, there can be many different methods used. […]

Mar 16
Prehistory of Sri Lanka 2 : the geographical and geological background of Sri Lanka

Chaminda Bandara Ambanwala Department of Archaeology & Heritage Management, Rajarata University of Sri Lanka, Mhintale. Translated by : Chryshane Mendis Chandima Ambanwala Archaeology is considered a multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary subject. It could be said so as the knowledge generated from other natural sciences and social sciences are used to get an overview of archaeology. When […]

Mar 09
Prehistory of Sri Lanka 1 : the beginning of a long journey

Chandima Bandara Ambanwala Department of Archaeology & Heritage Management, Rajarata University of Sri Lanka, Mihintale. [email protected] Translated by: Chryshane Mendis Chandima Bandara Ambanwala Introduction Sri Lanka stands out as one of the foremost among the few countries in the world with a continuous written history. Since the introduction of Buddhism from India, Buddhist scholars keen […]

Mar 02
Book Launch, “Marga Puranaya” by Dr. P. Vidanapathirana

The book ‘Marga Puranaya’ by Dr. Vidanapathirana was launched on the 22nd of February 2017 at the Postgraduate Institute of Archaeology. The ceremony commenced at 3pm with the welcome speech delivered by Dr. Arjuna Thanthirage. The Chief Guest for the ceremony was Prof. S. B. Hettiarachchi and Guest of Honor was Dr. Janaka Weerasinghe, Director […]

Feb 27
Study of Holocene hunter-gatherers in Sri Lanka : towards a regional model

Introduction: Holocene hunter-gatherers The archaeological project titled ‘Hunters in Transition’ initiated in the year 2009 focuses on the Holocene adaptations of the prehistoric hunter-gatherers occupied in the deep mountainous hinterland in Sri Lanka. Three separate climatic regions i.e. wet, intermediate, and dry zone which are geographically adjacent to each other has been archaeologically investigated through […]

Feb 25
Alugalge Cave in Balangoda Revisited

The second phase of the archaeological investigations in the prehistoric Alugalge Cave in Balangoda has been initiated in the late February 2017. The Alugala Cave   This cave was first excavated in July 2015 and has yielded an assemblage of artifacts suggesting the prehistoric occupation at the location during the mid/late Holocene. One of the […]

Feb 20
Excavating the Royal Palace of Seethawaka

By Chryshane Mendis The rise and fall of the Seethawaka Kingdom in the 16th century is one of those remarkable episodes of history where a kingdom with a short lifespan could have an effect for generations to come such as that of the short lived empire of Alexander the Great; such was the feat of […]

Jan 11
Udupiyangala excavations, the conclusion

The Udupiyangala cave in Kalthota, Balangoda is a prehistoric habitat that was excavated by Dr. P.E.P Deraniyagala in 1936. Through that excavation, it was recorded that quartz tools and a clay pot with seeds were found. Based on that evidence Dr. Deraniyagala believed it reflected a new path in the Stone Age culture of Prehistoric […]

Sep 14
Fieldwork of the Hunters in Transition Project -2016 (Second field season)

The second season of the hunters in Transition project by Prof Raj Somadeva was initiated between 22nd July and 4th September 2016. Two excavations have been carried out in Illukkumbura of Balangoda. The objective of the fieldwork was to investigate the adaptation of the prehistoric communities in the area to the climatic changes of the […]

Jan 22
Ethno Rock Art: A case study Kaimur, Bihar – Sachin Kumar Tiwary

By Sachin Kumar Tiwary Ethno rock art can provide insights of value to Archaeoscientists into how people in the past may have lived, especially with regard to their social structures, religious beliefs and other aspects of their culture”. This way, the methodological approach proposed in this publication can also contribute for the development of Cognitive Archaeology, […]