151210 Lecture 01 Introduction

8/17/2019 151210 Lecture 01 Introduction

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SRI LANKAN HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE

LECTURE 01

INTRODUCTION

Prof. Samitha Manaa!"

10th D#$#m%#r &01'


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PREHISTORY(• From the Inception to the beginning of History;• Human habitation and covers the

• Stone Age:• Palaeolithic; (!!"!!! #P to $%"!!! #P&;• 'esolithic; ($%"!!! #P to %!!! #P&;• eolithic; (%!!! #P to $!!! #P&;

• Iron Age

• #ron)e age($!!! #P to *+!! #P&; and"• Iron Age; (*+!! #P to ,--&-

PROTO)HISTORY:

• Period of .ransiting: from Prehistory to the /arly History

HISTORY(• From the Inception of 0eeping 1ecords

• 2egendary History;• Physical History


3/21

Pa*#o*ithi$ (!!"!!! #P to $%"!!! #P&;

• Iranamadu findings indirectly indicate e3istence of Paleolithic

people in Sri 2an4a as early as $!!"!!! #P;

• .here is definite evidence of settlements by Prehistoric people

in Sri 2an4a by about *5%"!!! #P;

• .hese people made tools of 6uart) and 7hert 8hich areassignable to the 'iddle Paleolithic Period-


4/21

M#+o*ithi$(• Island had been coloni)ed by #alangoda 'an around $9"!!! #P;

• A group of 'esolithic Hunter atherers" 8ho lived in caves;• Fa Hien 7ave (#ulathsinhala& has #ar*i#+t #,i!#n$# -at $.

/000 P2 of anatomi$a**3 mo!#rn h"man+ in South Asia;

• #atadombalena (0uru8ita& and the FaHien cave brought many

artifacts to indicate them being th# fir+t mo!#rn inha%itant+ of

th# i+*an!4

• #*i)*#na -K"r"ita2 ha! +a*t brought in from the coast earlier

than 5"!!! #P;-

• 'inute granite tools of about 9 centimeters in length;• /arthen8are and remnants of charred timber;

• C*a3 %"ria* 5ot+ date bac4 to the Stone Age 'esolithic people

(+!!! years #P& have been discovered during e3cavations around

a $a,# at 6arana Ra7a Maha 6ihara an! 8 in Ka*at"aa ar#a-


5/21

M#+o*ithi$ -$ont92 ($%"!!! #P to %!!! #P&;

• It is guessed that Hunter atherer People 4no8n as the Wanniyala- Aetto or 6#!!a+ in C#ntra* U,a an! North)Ea+t ar# !#+$#n!ant+

of #alangoda people-

• S4eletal remains of dogs from ilgala cave and from #ellanbandi

Palassa" dating from the 'esolithic era (9%!! #7&" suggesting

a*an:o!a P#o5*# ha! ;#5t !om#+ti$ !o:+ for driving game-

• .hey may have !om#+ti$at#!


6/21

M#+o*ithi$)Iron a:# tran+ition(• .ransition from 'esolithic to Iron Age is scanty;

• Human s4eleton from oda8aya in Hambantota" dated bac4 to

$!!! %!!! #7 8as 8ith tools of animalbone and stone;

• /vidence from Horton Plains indicates e3istence of agriculture by

+!!! #7" 8ith herding of Bos and cultivation of oats and barley-

• Findings from =ora8a4a4anda caves near 0egalle indicate use

of pottery" stone stools" and cereal cultivation in 9$!! #7; • Findings from 'antai dated to about *+!! #7" indicate 4no8ledge

of copper >8or4ing;

• 7innamon" native to Sri 2an4a" 8as in use in Ancient /gypt inabout *%!! #7" suggesting there 8ere trading lin4s 8ith the

island-

• It is possible that #iblical .arshish 8as located on the island (?ames

/merson .ennant& identified it 8ith alle&-


7/21

Ear*3 Iron a:# -1>00 ? @00 P2(• 2arge settlement prior to @!! #7 found in Anuradhapura 8ith signs of

an Iron Age culture;•


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PREHISTORIC TIME LINE OF SRI LANKA(

0000 C >

• Fire sed in 7hina by Pe4ing 'an;

00000 C >

• Humans in Sri 2an4a" probable unconfirmed;

&00000 C >

• #eginning of 'iddle Palaeolithic Period;

• 2o8er Palaeolithic predates Homo sapiens" beginning 8ith Homo Habilis(earliest true man& and the earliest use of stone tools-

• Homo sapiens originated some 5!!"!!! years ago" ushering in the

'iddle Palaeolithic;

• =uring the 'iddle Palaeolithic" humans developed language" music"

early art" as 8ell as systematic burial of the dead;


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1&0000 P >

• 'odern Homo sapiens appears in Africa;

•


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>0000 #7

• Found remains of animals such as hippopotamus 8ith si3 incisor

teeth" a rhinoceros" and a lion from e3cavations in 1athnapura=istrict;

• Along 8ith animal remains" stone artefacts comprising" typically"

large choppers and fla4es of uart) and chert" have been found-

• Ho8ever" apart from a human calotte (s4ullcap& from a gem pit near/lla8ala" no human remains have been discovered yet from the

1atnapura.;

• 5nd oldest human found in 2an4a" "n!a*a4

• .hese people made tools of uart) (and a fe8 on chert&;

• Apart from such tools" no other remains had survived the

ravages of time and tropical 8eathering;


11/21

0'00 C ? • FaHien 7ave" $rd oldest 2an4an human proves;

• Female bodyremains found in Catagampitiya near#ulathSinhala;

• Proved the consumption of rice" 4urahan" and salt;

• Archaeologists named her 0alu'eni4a;

• Proof of 2an4ans in agriculture 5!"!!! years ahead of the 8orld;

• .he first anatomically modern human found in South Asia;

• Pahiyangala is also the largest natural cave in South Asia-


12/21

&>'00 C• #atadobmalena (0uru8ita&" #elilena and #ellanbendi Palassa

subected to detailed analysis;• Identified remains of anatomically modern prehistoric humans" referred

to as #alangoda 'an;• 'ales *9 cm and females *DD cm tall; .aller than presentday Sri

2an4ans;• 7haracterised by robust bones; thic4 s4ullbones; prominent bro8

ridges" depressed noses" heavy a8s and short nec4s;• .eeth 8ere conspicuously large;

• .hose characters survived among Keddas J unmi3ed Sinhalese;

• #alangoda 'an is regarded as the original 2an4an-

• eometric microliths are considered as hallmar4 of 'esolithic

period;• /arliest dates of geometric microlithic tradition in /urope is

around *5"!!! #P-

• A surprise such tools 8ere found early as $*"!!! #P at

#atadombalena and other sites" li4e the t8o coastal sites in and

at #elilena;


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&>'00 C ?• 2an4ans in 'annar" Horton plains to #undala" in t8o family units;

• Settled in every corner" from the damp and cold High Plains such as

'ahaeliya (Horton Plains& to arid lo8lands of 'annar and Kilpattu" to thesteamy rainforests of Sabaragamu8a;

• 7amps 8ere small" rarely above %!-! S-m" occupation by not more than a

couple of families at most;

• 2ifestyle not much different from the Kaddas of Sri 2an4a;

• .hey had been moving from place to place" on an annual cycle of loo4ing

for food;

• Had started business bet8een the coast and the hills 5+"%!! #7: 2an4ans

• #eads of shells discovered deep inside the country;

• =iscovery of marine shells in inland sites such as #atadombalena" points

to an e3tensive net8or4 of contacts bet8een the coast and the inland-


14/21

&>'00 C)• 2an4ans had %"ria* $"+tom+;

• #alangoda 'an had bury his dead "n!#rn#ath hi+ $am5 f*oor ;• Selected certain bones for this purpose;• At 1avana /lla cave and Fa Hien 2ena" red ochre had been

ceremonially smeared on the bones;

• B#om#tri$ mi$ro*ith+ are found in #atadomba 2ena in the tool 4it

of #alangoda 'an;

• .ool 4it of #alangoda 'an is comprising small (less than 9 cm long&

fla4es of uart) and (rarely& chert fashioned into stylised lunate"

triangular and trape)oidal forms;

• eometric 'icrolithic tools found" 5+"!!! #7 at t8o coastal sites in

#undala and over 5"!!! #7 at #elilena;

•


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&000 C(• /vidence from #eli2ena that salt had been brought in from the coast at a

date in e3cess of 5"!!! #7;

1'000 C(

• Pollen evidence from the Horton Plains for herding and the farmin: of

%ar*#3 an! oat+ by *%"!!! #7 and also around +"!!! #7;

• Female body parts recovered proved "+# of n##!*#+ (made of rabbit

bones&" and n#$;*a$# -made of a seethru material li4e glass but as hardy asplastic&- .he Archaeologists have named her imali-

1000 C(• =iscovery of remains of t8o prehistoric humans and other artefacts in a

cave in Ala8ala" ampaha;

• .his discovery has also unearthed too*+ to %"t$h#r animals" A shar4

tooth ornament and remains of breadfruit seeds called 0e4una;

10'00 C(• Alulena near Attanagoda" 0egalle- 'ore human remains 8ere discovered


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'00 C(• #ellan #endi Pelessa near /mblipitiya" an openair site of human remains;

• Secret of the Strong #ones;

• /vidence from caves sho8ed 2an4ans 8ere having very 8ide range of

foodplants and animals;

• Prominent 8ere canarium nuts" 8ild breadfruit and 8ild bananas;

• Sho8ed that 2an4ans ate any type animal" from elephants to sna4es"rats" snails and small fish;

• .his 8ellbalanced diet must be the secret behind the robusticity of the

human s4eletal remains-


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00 C (• =ora8a4a0anda 7ave near 0egalle;

• eometric 'icrolithic industry J pottery;

• /vidence of transition from 'esolithic #alangoda 7ulture to the

protohistoric early Iron Age;

• Indications at this site of pottery (together 8ith stone stools& being used as

early as D$!!;

• Had proved e3istence of a geometric microlithic industry;

• Also proved a cereal and a crude red pottery by %"$!! #7" and #lac4 and

1ed Eare by $"*!! #7-

000 C(• 'ahamevuna yana" Proof of Horses;

• *! meters belo8 e3isting Anuradhapura" remains of a huge settlement

dated to @!!!D!!! #7 8as uncovered 5!!* A=;

• Proof for 2an4ans using Horses before orth Indians arrival in 9+$ #7;


18/21

000 C(• Palle 'alala Site" a prehistoric camp at a driedup lagoon in Hambantota; :

• First proof of prehistoric shell midden in the country" fireplace" grinding

stone" burial room" 1ough clothing;

• 2ived" hunted and fished for food and buried the dead ;• Hunted sambhurGdeerG8ild boar 8ith crude stone J sharpened bone tools;

• 'eat 8as roasted over an open hearth;• Fish and reptile meat 8as a common diet;• #ones 8ere ground on a large flat stone to e3tract marro8;• S4ins 8ere dried to ma4e rough clothing;

• Animal remains 8ere as many as %! species of deer" hare" mouse" 8ild boar

and 4ulumeema (#os indica&;

• Found a primitive grinding stone J vestiges of a fireplace" probably for

roasting molluscBs;

• A meter belo8 living floor 8as the burial floor;• Seven adult s4eletons have been found buried;

• Shell midden" a mound of thre8 a8ay shells of animals such as oysters and

mussels;

• #ased on the si)e of the shell midden" there 8ould have been at least *%

people d8elling at the site;


19/21

000 C(• Palle 'alala discoveries indicates origins of 'aha Sona beliefs;

• =iscovered in the burial floor" a s4ull of a 8ild boar 8ith tus4s intact" ne3t to a

human s4ull" suggesting a 4ind of burial ritual;

• .raditionally" 'ahasona is depicted as having the head of a boar;• KeddasL 4iri4oraha ceremony" uses the head of a boar" offering tribute to

0ande Ca4a" the od of Hunting;

000 C(

• Similarity of Palle 'alala man 8ith rest of the 8orld;• 2an4an 8ere in forefront of human development" thus" lifestyles of stone age

2an4an could not have had much difference from others;• Stri4ing similarities in contemporary stone tools found any8here;

• #urial practices too appear to similarities;

• Human bodies found had been buried in a curious folded position 8here4nees and elbo8s had been folded to8ards the body in burial-

• Similar burials in folded position have been unearthed from sites

else8here;

• .here had been freuent migration bet8een the landmass that 8as Sri 2an4a

at the time and the Indian continent" across the Pal4 Strait-


20/21

/000 C(• =iscovered a prehistoric grave site near Ibban4atu8a Ee8a in =ambulla;

'00 C (• =iscovered a ferryG boat on Attanagalla


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The End

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151210 Lecture 01 Introduction