PRE HISTORICAL SITES

ALU LENAGODAWAYA

BALANGODABALANGODA MANGORAWAKA CAVE

IBBANKATUWAPAHIYANGALAPOMPARIPPUDEDICATION

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CONTENT

Among the cave sites with particularly interesting archaeological contents is Alu Lena ( Alu Galge) at Attanagoda near Kegalle. The Galge or the rock shelter derives its name from the presence of ashes (alu) across the 5 x 3 m floor, a testimony to historic occupation of the site by game poachers. Beneath this recent accumulation are several layered deposits of travertine of which the uppermost contains lithic and skeletal materials. A number of faunal and human specimens have been found covered with a calcium encrustation that is due to their exposure to water falling from the drip ledge of the shelter. The outlier, of which the rock shelter is a part, is weathered into deep cavities that retain water well into the dry season, perhaps a critical factor in ancient human occupation. An archaeological party under the direction of P. E. P. Deraniyagala that visited the site in 1954 discovered lithic and skeletal materials in a single test pit. The team found a poorly preserved human skeleton laid off its left side in a flexed position, facing east and covered with stones. In direct association with the human bones were found shells of Acavus superbus, Cyclopgorus, Autopoma, and two species of paludomus. Snail and mollusk shells of these genera were found elsewhere on the cave floor along with a few specimens of Pila. Of the reptiles, Lissemys, Testudo, and Varanus were identified. Other bones were identified as deer, monkey, buffalo, porcupine, and squirrel, all species existing on the island today. Fragments of chert and quartz were scattered throughout the site, but the only obvious stone tools are the unpitted pebbles of which three have ground surfaces. Deraniyagala suggested that some of the bones, teeth, and antler fragments had been shaped as tools.

Extracted from : God-apes and fossil men

By Kenneth A. R. Kennedy                                                      Created : March 22, 2009Updated : March 22, 2009

Among the cave sites with particularly interesting archaeological contents is Alu Lena ( Alu Galge) at Attanagoda near Kegalle. The Galge or the rock shelter derives its name from the presence of ashes (alu) across the 5 x 3 m floor, a testimony to historic occupation of the site by game poachers. Beneath this recent accumulation are several layered deposits of travertine of which the uppermost contains lithic and skeletal materials. A number of faunal and human specimens have been found covered with a calcium encrustation that is due to their exposure to water falling from the drip ledge of the shelter. The outlier, of which the rock shelter is a part, is weathered into deep cavities that retain water well into the dry season, perhaps a critical factor in ancient human occupation. An archaeological party under the direction of P. E. P. Deraniyagala that visited the site in 1954 discovered lithic and skeletal materials in a single test pit. The team found a poorly preserved human skeleton laid off its left side in a flexed position, facing east and covered with stones. In direct association with the human bones were found shells of Acavus superbus, Cyclopgorus, Autopoma, and two species of paludomus. Snail and mollusk shells of these genera were found elsewhere on the cave floor along with a few specimens of Pila. Of the reptiles, Lissemys, Testudo, and Varanus were identified. Other bones were identified as deer, monkey, buffalo, porcupine, and squirrel, all species existing on the island today. Fragments of chert and quartz were scattered throughout the site, but the only obvious stone tools are the unpitted pebbles of which three have ground surfaces. Deraniyagala suggested that some of the bones, teeth, and antler fragments had been shaped as tools.

ALU LENA

A human skeleton, estimated to be at least 7000 years old, several other pre-historic stone tools including animal remains have been unearthed from the Godawaya archeological site in Ambalantota.

Archaeologist, W.K. Sanath said a team of archaeologists initiated research after discovering the tools made of granite and quartz used by the pre-historic man from the abandoned quarry. They removed the skeleton for laboratory tests.

GODAWAYA

Anatomically modern, prehistoric human remains found in Sri Lanka are commonly referred to as Balangoda Man. The term seems to have derived from his being responsible for the Mesolithic 'Balangoda Culture' which was first defined in sites near Balangoda.According to scientists he stood at an estimated height of 174 cm for males and 166 cm for females. The bones are robust, with thick skull-bones, prominent brow-ridges, depressed noses, heavy jaws and short necks. The teeth are conspicuously large.

BALANGODA

This Huge Cave has been home to the prehistoric 'Balangoda Man' (Homo sapiens balangodensis) where 16,000 year old skeletal remains have been found. Fa Hien-lena has yielded the earliest evidence (at ca. 37,000 BP) of the 'Balangoda Man' followed by Batadomba-lena at 31,000 and 18,000 BP. These caves have also yeiled other artifacts such as prehistoric tools belonging to the 30,000 BP. Batadomba-lena caves have yeiled tools going back to 31,000 BP. These are important findings to whole of Asia as these tools are considered to have first originated in Europe around 12,000 BP. But these finding have proved that the Sri Lankan 'Balangoda Man' has been at the same stage od deveopment 19 ,000 years before the Europeans.

BALANGODA MAN

Archaeologists firmly believe that excavation surveys conducted at the Dorawaka Rock caves at Warakapola reveal information of the Mesolithic Era, the third phase of the Stone Age.According to them, the caves at Dorawakkanda and Uragala near Warakapola in the Kegalle District have yielded some of the most sensational archaeological findings in recent times, among them Brahmi inscriptions, a communication mode within suggest and attributes a different language pre-dating the arrival of Vijaya.Brahmi lettering is typically found in rock inscriptions in stone caves. The roots of this science is said to have originated in India.

DORAWAKA ROCK CAVES

Ibbankatuwa Ancient burial ground lies few kilometres before the Dambulla town on the Kurunegala-Dambulla Road. An archeological Department board will indicate the turn off from the main road. The site is reached by traveling about 500m in to this road. The area where the tombs have been found is about 15x15 metres. About 10 tombs have been unearthed and each tomb is separated by four stone slabs and covered by another slab on the top. This Early Iron Age burial ground has been dated to 750 BC to 400 BC. Excavations have revealed that each tomb containing personal belonging such as clay pots, beads, necklaces, etc, similar to the practices in ancient Egypt pyramids. The gemstones found in some necklaces are only found in India indicating links to India during this time.

IBBANKATUWA

Pahiyangala caves lies in Yatagampitiya, which is a remote village about 5 km away from Bulathsinhala (40Km along Piliyandala-Horana road), in the Kalutara District. Excavation has proved that these caves were inhabited by prehistoric cave men some 37,000 years ago. This cave is supposed to be the largest natural rock in Asia and this is also known to be the most ancient pre-historic human settlement in Asia.

PAHIYANGALA

The cave lies 400 feet above sea level, At its entrance, the cave is 175 feet high and over 200 feet long. It is believed that 3000 people can be easily accommodated in this cave. The natural tunnels running inside the caves are now blocked and is not accessible. The cave has been divided into four sections of which the left side cave is the largest and is the centre of it. There is a deep pit dug out by the Archaeological Department for an excavation. In is in this pit that archeologists found five human skulls which were identified as 37,000 years old by carbon dating in USA. Some weapons made of stone and animal bones were also recovered during the excavation. It has been found out that these were used to kill monkey, deer, porcupine and others. They have also consumed acavus, a species of edible snail and wild breadfruit. Biologically, this cave dweller known as Pahiyangala Manawakaya (Pahiyangala Man) had a short vertebral structure, wide jaw bones , a large palette and big grinding teeth.

CONTINUE

The Pomparippu burial site has aroused considerable interest ever since its discovery by A.M. Hocart during the course of his survey of the Puttalam - Mannar coast in 1923 - 24. A number of urn burials were excavated by Raja De Silva in 1956 in the course of a detailed archaeological survey undertaken by the Department of Archaeology. However, it were the excavations carried out in July and August 1970 by Vimala Begley, Bennet Bronson and Mohamed Mauroof as part of a project to study the pre-and proto-history of Sri Lanka undertaken by the University of Pennsylvania that revealed much of this lost culture.According to Vimala Begley (Ancient Ceylon. 1981) indications are that the burial ground covered about 3-4 acres of land. She estimates that the site may contain about 8000 or so burials containing the remains of 10,000 - 12,000 people.

POMPARIPPU

Kantharodai has a monument of the Tamil Buddhist civilization in Jaffna one time. It is located about 10km north of Jaffna town, and 2km west of Chunnakam. It has a cluster of twenty miniature dagobas, ranging in height from one to three meters. The dagobas have no resemblance in architecture with other Buddhist religious sites in Sri Lanka. It is believed that these are votive dagobas, and some believe that these are the shrines of the Tamil Buddhist monks. The site is reserved as an archeological site.

KANTHARODAI

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www.angelfire.com/in4/visitsl/prehistoric/batadomba.../batadomba.ht...

www.amazinglanka.com/prehistoric/

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prehistory_of_Sri_Lanka

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balangoda_ManCached - Similar

www.srilankaguardian.org/.../people-and-cultures-of-prehistoric-sri_...

REFERANCE

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