3rd Biennial Conference - 2015
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Item First Palaeopathological Example of Dental Abscess from Pre-historic Sri Lanka(Centre for Asian Studies, University of Kelaniya, 2015) Ranaweera, L.; Adikari, G.Sri Lanka is an island off the tip of southeast of Indian subcontinent and possesses a pre-historic human skeletal record covering 34,000 years, which is inclusive of Meolithic period, Iron age and Historic period. Interestingly, the oldest skeletal remains of anatomically modern Homo sapiens (37 000 BP) reported from the South Asian region were discovered from the cave site, Fahien-lena, The archaeological excavation of Pallemalala shell midden in the southern part of the island was conducted by the Postgraduate Institute of Archaeology, University of Kelaniya in 1997 and yielded six human skeletons, with additional fragments of human and faunal remains, together with stone implements belonging to the Mesolithic culture. Gross morphological analysis indicates abundant and well preserved dental evidences when compared to poor skeletal preservation. Among the collection, there is a left part of a mandible aged around 35-45 years of a male person with the evidence of a large dental abscess cavity associated with the antimortem tooth lost. The reports of palaeopathological conditions on skeletal materials are very rare and this finding highlights the very first dental abscess encountered in Pallemalala population who lived in 4500 BP in Sri Lanka. Since such dental pathology has the potential to provide insights into the composition of the diet, this will open a research path to determine disease progress with evolution.Item Archaeological Landscape of the Lower Montane Region of Sri Lanka: Socio-Cultural Aspects of Archaeological Sites(Centre for Asian Studies, University of Kelaniya, 2015) Rambukwella, C.The objective of the research is to study the socio-cultural aspects of archaeological sites in the middle Mahaweli river basin which represents the lower montane region of the island. The area of study is significant in terms of its physiography. The present study area, the lower montane region of Sri Lanka, is demarcated for the purpose of the study as the area between 1000 – 3500 feet which is dominated by its own environmental factors. The Archaeological and historical evidence shows that the middle basin of the river Mahaweli has been thickly inhabited by humans since early Holocene. However, the knowledge about the development of human settlements of the region is scarce. This scarcity is crucially influential to understand the subsequent developments in the middle basin of the river Mahaweli towards its upper reaches. The middle part of the river basin has been neglected archaeologically during the last 100 years of research in the island due to some practical reasons. Hence, the previous studies on the ancient human settlements in Sri Lanka are confined to the coastal plains or the dry zone of the island. The textual information and cursory observations suggest that the middle Mahaweli basin has a great potential of cultural continuity from the pre- history up to the late historic periods. The filed data in this research will give support to understand the contribution of the early human settlements in the cultural development of the whole island throughout the history. In this context, almost all archaeological sites were directly connected to the socio-cultural aspects that were embraced by the settlements in the vicinity. Hence, those archeological sites will give an insight into the socio-cultural aspects of the heritage in the region.Item An extension to Nur Yalman’s Under the Bo Tree: A Survey into Diaries of Mr. KB Nissanka, School Head Master of ‘Terutenne’(Centre for Asian Studies, University of Kelaniya, 2015) Manatunga, AnuraUnder the Bo Tree by Nur Yalman has been considered one of the best socio-anthropological books on Sri Lanka. It is mainly based on field studies conducted in a Kandyan Village, ‘Terutenne’, for his PhD at Cambridge under the supervision of Edmund Leach from 1954 to 1956. The book was published in 1967 by the University of California Press and popularized among academics as a prescriptive text on the Sinhalese society. ‘Terutenne’ is a fictional name coined by Yalman for Teripehe, a remote village in the Walapane Division of Nuwara Eliya District. The focus of his study was on caste, kinship and marriage in the Kandyan Sinhalese village in Sri Lanka. The present research is an extension of Yalman’s study through analysing diaries of late Mr. KB Nissanka who was a native of the village and the Head Master of the school when Yalman conducted his research. Nissanka and his family have been widely referred to in Yalman’s book and they have met each other on several occasions including some of the important family functions at home. Mr. Nissanka was born in 1908 in Teripehe and died in 1991 in the same village. He was the Head Master and Principal of the Teripehe School for over two decades and later was promoted as the School Inspector of the region. He retired in 1968 and continued his service as a member of the Village Council and functioned in various other capacities which were integral to the life and society of ‘Terutenne’. He was a regular diarist from around the 1930s and these diaries are not only a record of his personal life, but also a repository of facts which reflect various aspects of village life and contemporary society in Sri Lanka. An analysis of these diaries is important as a cross reference to Yalman’s claims and is a definite extension of Yalman’s study in terms of time and scope.Item The Significance of Currency as a Heritage Transmission Media: with reference to Sri Lankan Rupees(Centre for Asian Studies, University of Kelaniya, 2015) Embuldeniya, P.; Gunasekara, I.Currency has significance of economical, archaeological, historical, natural and cultural aspects. The main objective of this research paper is to explicate the significance of the currency as a media which transmit the Sri Lankan heritage. The research is based on data collected through field research and library survey methods. Currency is generally defined as a system of money in common use, especially in a country. Sri Lanka has long and rich historical background on currency reign from ancient period. Punched coins, Swastika coins, Lakshmi coins, Ran kahawanuwa and its pieces, Medieval copper Massa coin, Sethu coins of Jaffna, Panama and Angutumassa / Hook coin are some of the local coins used in the ancient period. Apart from that, some of the foreign coins were used in Sri Lanka in the ancient time. Sri Lankan Rupee is the currency of Sri Lanka at present. Coins and Banknotes were frequently introduced to Sri Lankan currency. Moreover, the Central Bank of Sri Lanka has issued commemorative coins and banknotes on several occasions. Those coins and banknotes illustrated several aspects of Sri Lankan heritage such as traditional dance, traditional events, heritage sites, landscapes, industries, achievements, fauna and flora. Both cultural and natural aspects of heritage in Sri Lanka are transmitted through currency. Hence, there are several benefits in promoting this function as tourist attraction through museums, cultural events, culture based tours, nature based tours and heritage tours. Among these, currency museums are vital as an establishment of heritage. This research will propose cultural events as well as culture and nature based heritage tours focusing on the illustrated aspects of Sri Lankan coins and banknotes. Cultural and natural aspects of heritage in Sri Lanka, the significance of Sri Lankan currency, historical background of currency and heritage of Sri Lanka are also be discussed through this research