Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) is an emerging remote sensing tool for many disciplines. To put it simply, itÔÇÖs a laser scanning technology from which highly accurate ground surface models (topographic details) with elevation data can be created. The resultant data can be processed for analysis and interpretation in a Geographic Information System (GIS) software. Airborne Laser Scanning (ALS) is another term used for this, but in actuality refers to the overall method, whereas the LiDAR is the technology.

Therefore as the name suggests, Airborne Laser Scanning surveys refer to the use of LiDAR fitted to an aircraft or UAV from which extensive swathes of terrain can be scanned. This article will function as a brief introduction to this remote sensing method and its great potential for use in archaeology in Sri Lanka, through a working-progress case study.

Technology

Similar to Radar, it uses optical pulses fired from a laser to determine measurements. The resultant data are known as Point Clouds which contain measurements representing the position and elevation of the locations from which the optical pulse was reflected. The Point Cloud data are then filtered and interpolated to create high resolution Digital Elevation Models (DEMs), from which archaeological sites can be surveyed and mapped out.

LiDAR Applications in Archaeology

LiDARÔÇÖs use in archaeology has two applications. One is the scanning of a single monument to create a digital representation of it. This can be used for a variety of applications, such as for virtual reality, digital preservation of threatened heritage, and mapping for conservation and restoration.

The second is as a remote sensing tool for archaeological prospection. This is can be considered the most important application of the technology for archaeology. Its ability to cover vast areas in a short time together with its ability to filter out tree cover, has proven it to be an accurate and efficient method for surveying expansive forested regions for archaeological features (micro topographic features); a feat a traditional ground survey would be less equipped to do. LiDAR derived DEMs could have accuracies as high as 0.5×0.5m per pixel, enabling the detection of the smallest archaeological features. Although the technology has been around for some time, its wide application in archaeology as a surveying tool is only about a decade old.

Giving some examples, LiDAR surveys have been conducted extensively in Mesoamerican landscapes. The extensive forested regions of Central America, pertaining for example to the ancient Maya, have been a great source for testing out this technology, where entire urban and agricultural landscapes have been mapped out. One such study was conducted in 2009 in the Mayan site of Caracol, Belize, where a 200sqkm area was mapped out which revealed extensive monumental architecture, roads, residential settlements and agricultural terraces. Another example closer to home, was the LiDAR survey of the capital city of the Khmer Empire, Angkor in present day Cambodia. This study conducted between 2012-2013 revealed extensive urban landscape features around the famous Angkor Wat temple, which were previously barely known due to thick vegetation cover. The results of this study was also the subject of a lecture of ICOMOS Sri Lanka in 2018 by the lead researcher.

Lidar and the Archaeologist

The output of Lidar is the DEM or an extremely detailed reconstruction of the ground surface. The DEM can be used directly for spatial analysis in the GIS or to generate visualizations. The visualizations produce images. These images serve as sources of information which are then ÔÇÿreadÔÇÖ and interpreted by archaeologists. A very simplified workflow is thus:

The LiDAR derived DEM is like any raster file. In the GIS software, it can be visualized through colour manipulation, histogram stretch, hillshade and 3D representations. Furthermore, advanced visualizations are also available through other applications; these are for example, sky-view factor, local dominance, negative and positive openness, cumulative visibility etc. and can be created through the Relief Visualization Toolbox (RVT) application of the Research Centre of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts. The choosing of the type of visualizations depends on the topography of the site, where ideally more than two visualizations can be used to derive different images for comparison.

The next step will be more familiar to the archaeologist – detection and interpretation. The resulting image can be read like a map, where then depending on the experience of the archaeologist, potential archaeological features can be traced out. However, the very final step in any LiDAR survey should be ground truthing. The typical archaeological field survey would be conducted, but with the LiDAR maps helping to pinpoint specific locations and giving an overall landscape perspective of the terrain being surveyed.

Application of LiDAR in Sri Lanka

The use of LiDAR in Sri Lankan archaeology was first pioneered in 2017-2018 with the ÔÇÿDigitizing Our HeritageÔÇÖ project. This project was a collaboration between the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO) of Australia, the private 3D printing firm RCS2 Technologies, the University of Moratuwa, and the Department of Archaeology.

This project used drone based LiDAR for mapping and documenting important archaeological sites using the Hovermap, a 3D LiDAR mapping system developed by CSIRO. The sites included Sigiriya, Dambulla cave temple, Thuparamaya, Isurumuniya, Mudukondapola, Nikasalanuwara, Kandegama, Galle fort and several sites in Polonnaruwa.

The system created a digital map of the monument which was next used to print 3D models, which will be of immense use for heritage professionals. This however is an example of one of the applications of LiDAR ÔÇô that of digitizing monuments.
The second and most important use of LiDAR or more specific ÔÇô Airborne Laser Scanning, for surveying studies has seen a lack in Sri Lankan archaeology.

A literature study showed no known research which employed LiDAR for archaeological prospection. This is understandably due to the high cost involved in using an aircraft for scanning. However, possibly unbeknownst to many in the heritage field, the Survey Department of Sri Lanka has had LiDAR data since 2015!

Survey Department data

Airborne LiDAR data has been made available by the Survey Department since 2015 covering seven districts thus far (complete districts of Colombo, Gampaha, Kegalle, Nuwara Eliya and parts of Kalutara, Kandy and Badulla), at pixel resolutions of 1x1m for Colombo and Gampaha and 2x2m for the rest (see map below). The department conducted the LiDAR survey through a collaboration with Japan, and hopes to extend the survey to the rest of the country. These data were mainly created for disaster risk management and geospatial information.

Procuring this data from the Survey department is quite easy. LiDAR data are provided in the formats of DEM, DSM (Digital Surface Model), Point Cloud, Contours, and Rapid Ortho Photo. These are priced per square kilometer (see price list below).

Procedure ÔÇô One could simply send an email to surveydepartment.csc@gmail.com giving the required location and area, and once the requirement is confirmed and quotation sent, you could make the payment to the bank and upon sending confirmation of payment, you will receive the data via email in a few daysÔÇÖ time. As the below case study will show, I received this within less than a week and the staff of the department were very prompt in handling my request. Since I made the payment online, the data was obtained completely online without ever having to go to the department.

This has since been updated and now contains coverage of the entire Nuwara Eliya District.

Case study of Balana

Having studied extensively on LiDAR visualizations during my masters in Amsterdam, I was curious on its possibilities in Sri Lanka. ThatÔÇÖs when during my thesis work I came to know of the existence of LiDAR with the Survey Department. Visiting the department last year I was told of its availability and procurement procedure, which I have described above after my experience.

Elated over the fact that the department had LiDAR coverage over the site of Balana fort, I immediately sent a request for an area of 46.2 hectares or 0.46 sqkm and received the DEM via email. Balana is a site I have long been involved with, having drawn possibly the first archaeologically surveyed map of the fort, and had always wished to view the sitesÔÇÖ terrain for more detailed analysis.

The results showed the main fort in clear visibility of its surroundings and allows for an understanding of the terrain that would not have been possible before. In a conventional topographic survey using a total station, it would have taken several field days to produce a terrain model, and that too without much detail of the steep slopes. However here, within virtually a day of procurement and within about an hour of visualization, I was able to see the topography of the fort, i.e. the hill of Balana and its surroundings in astonishing detail; all at the price of Rs. 46.00.

Due to the relatively low resolution of the LiDAR data, not much of the micro topography or smaller archaeological features were visible; however, I was able to identify a large trench like feature along the north-east end of the fort.

The results of this LiDAR survey of the Balana fort will be presented at the National Archaeology Conference 2022 organized by the Department of Archaeology.

Suitability of the Survey Department LiDAR and future potential for Sri Lanka
Apart from the analyses that could be derived from the LiDAR of Balana, it was mainly performed as a test to examine the suitability of 2×2 meter pixel DEMs for archaeological prospection. In this regard it failed. High resolution LiDAR DEMs can reach 0.5 meters resolution, making this 2×2 meter relatively low resolution. In the case of Balana, a single-lined wall identified previously was not quite visible; even the main fortÔÇÖs outline is barely visible. This is in contrast to 0.5m DEMs (see below image) where micro features are quite visible.

Nevertheless, having LiDAR data to begin with is exciting, and the existing 2×2 meter resolution DEMs are still very useful as larger topographic features could be easily traced and analysed. As mentioned above, the best use of LiDAR is when its used for extensive areas under forest cover; and if project-specific airborne laser scanning surveys with powerful lasers are conducted, higher resolution data can be obtained for better results. Sri Lanka still has large swathes of lands under forest cover with known or little known archaeological sites, such as those of the Dry zone.

Surveying these with LiDAR would yield unique landscape results and help narrow down field surveying. Given the current cover of LiDAR data (see above for current districts) in Sri Lanka, these regions may not ring-a-bell for extensive archaeological sites, but as Balana has shown, many existing sites in the central highlands could still be examined in a new light.

Another interesting opportunity can be for the prehistorian, where the high resolution DEMs could be used for predictive modelling and viewshed analysis of the larger landscape of the prehistoric man.

It is hoped that this rather extensive ÔÇô brief introduction to LiDAR for archaeology in Sri Lanka would inspire researchers to embrace this new (freely available) technology and explore our understanding of the past even deeper. It has to be noted that this is a rather simplified introduction to LiDAR. For the more mathematically oriented archaeologist, the research would begin with the raw Point Cloud data where the margin of error could be established for more scientifically oriented results.

Comparison of same location between Google Satellite image and Simple Local Relief Model (SLRM) visualization, of an area southeast of Besan├ºon, France. This was part of the writerÔÇÖs Lidar assignment of the University of Amsterdam. Visualizations based on 0.5m resolution DEM. Image shows 2 prominent burial mounds to the left, and 4 mounds to the right. A square shaped archaeological feature can also be seen between the 2 prominent mounds.

References

• Max van der Schriek & Willem Beex, 2017. ÔÇ£The application of LiDAR-based DEMs on WWII conflict sites in the NetherlandsÔÇØ, Journal of Conflict Archaeology, 12:2, 94-114, DOI: 10.1080/15740773.2017.1440960
• Davis, S. et al. 2010. Boyne Valley Landscapes Project. Phase III Summary Report. Dublin, University College Dublin.Bofinger, J. & R. Hesse, 2011. ÔÇ£As far as the laser can reachÔǪ Laminar analysis of LiDAR detected structures as a powerful instrument for archaeological heritage management in Baden
• W├╝rttemberg, GermanyÔÇØ. In: Cowley, D.C. (ed.), Remote Sensing for Archaeological Heritage Management. Brussels, EAC, pp. 161-171.
• Opitz, R., L. Nuninger & C. Fruchart, 2012. ÔÇ£Thinking topographically about the landscape around Besan├ºon (Doubs, France)ÔÇØ. In: Kluiving, S.J. & E.G.B. Guttmann, (eds.), Landscape Archaeology between Art and Science. From a Multi- to an Interdisciplinary Approach. Amsterdam, Amsterdam University Press, pp. 395-412.
• Chase, A.F., D.Z. Chase & J.F. Weishampel, 2013. ÔÇ£The Use of LiDAR at the Maya Site of Caracol, BelizeÔÇØ. In: Comer, D.C. & M.J. Harrower (eds.), Mapping Archaeological Landscapes from Space. New York, Springer, pp. 187-197.
• Evans, D.H. et al., 2013. ÔÇ£Uncovering archaeological landscapes at Angkor using lidarÔÇØ. PNAS 110 (31): 12595ÔÇô12600.
• Gunaratne, Najira., 2017. ÔÇ£Preserving Our History with LidarÔÇØ. Roar Media [online] Available at: https://roar.media/english/tech/insights/preserving-our-history-with-lidar
• Daniel, Shannine., 2018. ÔÇ£Digitizing Sri LankaÔÇÖs Heritage for TomorrowÔÇÖs GenerationsÔÇØ. Roar Media [online] Available at: https://roar.media/english/life/in-the-know/digitizing-sri-lankas-heritage-for-tomorrows-generations
• Course materials for elective ÔÇÿTutorial Archaeology and GISÔÇÖ, MA and RMA programme, 2019/2020, Faculty of Humanities, University of Amsterdam.

The post LiDAR and its potential for Archaeology in Sri Lanka appeared first on Sri Lanka Archaeology.

General Guidelines

Title

• Sinhala – Size-14 , Font- FMAbhaya, Bold
• English – Size- 13, Font – Times New Roman, Bold

Author’s Name

• Indicate the last name at the beginning and the initials after. There should be no spaces between initials. The name must be entered in Times New Roman (English) or FMAbhaya (Sinhala). The font size should be 12.
• If there are several authors, the position, the place of work should be indicated in the order of the names and the size should be 11 (FMAbhaya/Times New Roman). The email should appear at the end of it.
• For multi-author abstracts, the maximum number of authors should be three.

General points

• Content should be in font size 12 and line space 1.15
• It is mandatory to limit the overall content of the research paper within the range of 300-350 words to explain the introduction, objective, methodology, discussion and results, conclusions clearly.
• Paper size should be B5.
• Keep the border line 1 inch wide.
• Should not contain plans, photographs, maps, tables, bibliographies, etc.
• A researcher can submit only one research paper and if he / she submits a multi-author research paper in addition to that research paper, he / she will have to register separately for each of those research papers.
• If a multi-author research paper is submitted, all its authors must be registered. If not, the relevant research paper will not be included in the publication.

The post Dates Extended for Call for Research Abstracts – 6th Undergraduate Research Symposium on Archaeology (URSARU 2021), Rajarata University of Sri Lanka appeared first on Sri Lanka Archaeology.

Deshamanya Vidya Jyothi Dr. Roland Silva was one of the foremost experts in the conservation of historical monuments and sites and one of Sri LankaÔÇÖs most prominent archaeologists. He was the former Commissioner of Archaeology (1983-1990) and the pioneer Founder Director General of the Central Cultural Fund that implemented the UNESCO-Sri Lanka Project of the Cultural Triangle, former Chancellor of the University of Moratuwa, former President of the World Body of Conservators, the first president of the of ICOMOS International (International Council on Monuments and Sites) from Asia (1990-1999), which is one of the three formal advisory bodies to the World Heritage Committee function under ┬áUNESCO, the pioneer in the establishment of the Post Graduate Institute of Archaeology and the pioneer founder President of The National Trust Sri Lanka. In addition he was a senior/honoured member of many other national and international professional institutions of Architecture and Archaeology.

Born in 1933 to a prominent entrepreneurial family in Giriulla, Roland Silva was the fifth in the family. His only brother was the eldest and there were three elder sisters and three younger sisters to Roland. He began school at St. JosephÔÇÖs College Colombo 10 in 1939 and was the youngest boarder at that time in the hostel, where he resided throughout his years at College. In 1942 when the Darley road premises were taken over by the military, the students were moved to three branches in Gampaha, Kelaniya, and Homagama. He continued his studies in Gampaha and then in Homagama, where he excelled in the second and third standards and received a double promotion to the fifth standard. Returning to Darley road in 1946, he took part in high jump and volley ball and finally captained the College Athletics and Volley ball teams. The late Dr. Carlo Fonseka who later entered SJC after having his early education in Mari Stella College was a classmate of his and were together in their years of schooling until they were separated in different streams. Due to his excellence in academic and the other activities, he was awarded the Head Prefectship by the Rector Rev. Fr. Peter Pillai, in 1951.

In Senior Prep (Year 9), he chose Double Maths, Physics and Chemistry (for HSC) and after passing all the examinations, he was called for an interview for selection to University where he indicated his desire to study Architecture. As there was no course on Architecture in the University, the panel recommended him to discuss with the Rector and so the Rector communicated with the Architecture Association (AA) of England to secure a place in their School of Architecture.

Dr. Roland began his studies in London in 1954, and while there, he had received a letter from Rev. Fr. Peter Pillai about his visit to London to undergo surgery for nonalcoholic cirrhosis. Fr. Peter Pillai had requested his former student to arrange suitable accommodation and he was able to find a visitorÔÇÖs room in the hostel where he was staying. He had also given his contact details to the Hospital as the emergency contact of Fr. Peter Pillai and tended to the needs of Fr. Pillai throughout his stay in London.

While studying architecture in London from 1954 to 1959, he became interested in  archaeology and thus he found time to complete a Postgraduate Diploma in Indian Archaeology at the Institute of Archaeology at the University of London in 1958; and even at this young age, he demonstrated his skills in multi-tasking, which later became the hallmark of his career.

After his studies in London, he toured in Europe and North Affrica visiting archaeological sites and he collected his appointment letter as the Assistant Commissioner (Architecture) of the Department of Archaeology from the Sri Lankan Embassy in Egypt. He became an Associate Member of Ceylon Institute of Architects in 1960, Royal Institute of British Architects in 1962 He later went on to obtain a Postgraduate Diploma in Conservation of Monuments from the University of Rome in 1968 and his Ph.D. from the University of Leiden in the Netherlands in 1988.

During his illustrious career of 30 years at the Department of Archaeology, Dr. Roland had the privilege of being the last Commissioner of Archaeology and its first Director General. During his tenure, he gave professional and scientific leadership for complex conservation works such as the restoration of the Maligawila Buddha Image and many historical St┼½pas. Through his great vision and holistic approach to heritage, he was the pioneer and pathfinder for the UNESCO ÔÇô Sri Lanka Project of the Cultural Triangle in 1980 and also for the inscribing of Sri LankaÔÇÖs first six UNESCO World Heritage Sites. In par with these international projects, he also set up the Central Cultural Fund for the financing and implementation of the project.

Dr. Roland Silva was the Founder President of ICOMOS ÔÇô Sri Lanka from 1981 to 1990, and also championed for regional representation in ICOMOS International and was subsequently elected the first Non-European President of ICOMOS in 1990, which he held for an unprecedented three consecutive terms till 1999; during which he worked tirelessly to set up national committees of ICOMOS in African, Asian and Latin American countries to realize his vision of making ICOMOS truly a world body. His international work included chairing scientific sessions of UNESCO that listed 222 sites throughout the world and also advocated looking into Asian traditions in conservation and management with an approach to living heritage. He also chaired the international proceedings in Nara, Japan, in 1993 that led to the Nara Document of Authenticity, a landmark document in heritage conservation.

Dr. Roland Silva was a consultant for World Heritage Site projects in many countries. One of his major contributions at the international level was serving in  the team of experts in the conservation of the Leaning Tower of Pisa in Italy, which made the tower stable.  Roland Silva the architect, too was active, having assisted in developing the architecture education by setting up a course in architecture at the Colombo Campus and was thus an influential teacher to several generations of architects. The former Head Office building of the CCF, Polonnaruwa Site Museum, and the old site Museum at Sigiriya were all designed by him, evolving a specific architectural vocabulary with tradition.

He is a constant reference to any student of Archaeology in Sri Lanka, and his theoretical studies of ancient Buddhist architecture are now standard practices. Even at an old age, Dr. Roland was still involved in the heritage sector and attended to the affairs of The National Trust with great enthusiasm. His strong charisma was an inspiration to many and although his demise is a loss to Sri Lanka and the whole world, the legacy he left behind will last the ages where he will join the list as one of Mother LankaÔÇÖs greatest sons.

Special thanks gooes to Mr. IMS Madanayake and Ms Sonali Premarathne for providing photos for this article.

This article was published on arcaheology.lk on January 03, 2020

The post In loving memory of Dr. Roland Silva, a pillar of Sri Lankan Archaeology appeared first on Sri Lanka Archaeology.

The text of the inscription is engraved in 10 lines on each side of a square stone pillar. The first half of the text engraved on two faces of the pillar is quite clear and the letters could be identified clearly. The portion of the text on the third face is not as clear as the estampage was not prepared with sufficient care and skill. The letters on the fourth face are completely worn out.

The inscription is not dated in the regional year of any king. On paleographical considerations, it could be assigned to the early 13th century. In formation, the letters represent a more advanced stage of development than those in the inscription of Parakramabahu I (1153-1186) and Nissankamalla (1187-1196). Dr.A Velupillai made a rather futile attempt at decipherment as evident from the text and translation of the inscription published by him. His failure to identify correctly the expressions in the first 12 lines has led to serious misunderstandings vitiating the importance of the record as a source of historical information.

On the basis of a careful scrutiny of the estampage, the first 12 lines of the text may be reconstructed as follows: “Kumalalapura parameciran kankai – kulottaman kaverivallavan nantikirincatan uttamacolan peral mantalanayakattukku utanpatu velaikkaran olaikkaran matevan ner anatti.”

The first three expressions could be identified as epithets of Nandikkirincatan. He was obviously a Cola feudatory claiming descent from a lineage of the Gangas who had connections with Kuvalalapuram, the capital of the Western Gangas. In the 12thand 13th centuries the Gangas of Pankala-natu had these epithets. Besides, the text suggests that he was a Velaikkaranexercising some administrative functions under a king, who was later raised to the dignity of a chieftain of a region (mantalam). He was probably a Cola military leader who had come to Polonnaruwa as an accomplice of Aniganga who is said to have occupied Polonnaruwa with the support of a Cola army. The inscription testifies to the presence of a feudatory chieftain of Ganga lineage in Polonnaruwa as one holding a position of rank and authority during a period of turmoil.

S. Pathmanathan

Department of History, Faculty of Arts, University of Peradeniya

This abstract was first published in the Peradeniya University Research Sessions, 2004, Vol. 9, pp.31.

For more information please visit http://dlib.pdn.ac.lk/handle/123456789/2829

The post New Light on The Decline of Polonnaruwa (1196-1215): The Tamil Pillar Inscription from Rankot Vihara appeared first on Sri Lanka Archaeology.

[wpViralQuiz id=6574]

The post Check your knowledge about Sri Lankan Archaeology by answering 10 questions – III appeared first on Sri Lanka Archaeology.

India is the nearest neighbour of Sri Lanka and the greatest cultural inspiration of the Island nation. The historical and Archaeological evidence amply supports this assertion. Indian History and Archaeology is taught across universities in Sri Lanka to mark these obvious historical relations between the two countries. Great strides have been made in both disciplines in India and Sri Lanka in the recent past, which need to be reflected in the university curriculum and introduced to students and early career academics. Historically, academics across the Palk Strait have collaborated in training students and conducting research, which was impacted lately due to political sensitivity. Restoration of peace in Sri Lanka has once again created an excellent opportunity to revive these age-old academic relations.

Therefore, the aims of the International Workshop and Lecture Series are to provide a platform for Indian and Sri Lankan historians and archaeologist as well as students in the Special Degree Programmes in History and Archaeology and Early Career Academics and Professionals in Archaeology to meet and discuss recent advances in the said disciplines. It also aims to revive academic interaction between academic institutions and colleagues across Palk Strait and reread Sri Lanka- India relations in general and South India- Sri Lanka in particular. This meeting will also provide an opportunity for students and early career academics to establish contacts with Indian scholars for possible postgraduate opportunities.

Deadline For Registration: August 28, 2018

Confirm Your Participation On Or Before August 30, 2018

Lecture Series And The Workshop

The lecture series and hands-on training in stone knapping (stone tool production) will be conducted by reputed academics and researchers from India and Sri Lanka.

Registration And Applications

Applications are called from students in the Special Degree Programmes in History and Archaeology and Early Career Academics and Professionals in Archaeology.

Registration, attendance at lectures and workshop and conference material, lodging and food are totally free. Early career academics and professionals may need to find accommodation for a night.

For more information please visit this site.

The post International Workshop and Lecture Series on Recent Advances in Indian History and Archaeology and Sri Lanka- South India Relations appeared first on Sri Lanka Archaeology.

Halawathage Nimal Perera, born on the 23^rd of December 1953 is a prominent prehistorian of Sri Lanka and was the former Director of Excavations and Acting Deputy Director-General of Archaeology; he is currently the Director of Sabaragamuwa Province of the Central Cultural Fund.

He received his BA in Archaeology from the University of Peradeniya in 1979 and went on to receive his Masters from the Deccan College Postgraduate and Research Institute of the University of Pune, India in 1992 and his PhD in Archaeology and Paleontology from the Australian National University in Canberra, Australia in 2007. His area of expertise is in the pre-proto and early historic archaeology of Sri Lanka and stressing on prehistoric human ecology and is the countryÔÇÖs expert on lithics analysis.

He joined the Department of Archaeology of the Government of Sri Lanka in 1982 as a Technical Assistant in Excavations and rose up the ranks to Director Excavations. He was trained intensively and supervised by Dr. Siran Deraniyagala, the then Director-General of Archaeology and also was trained by foreign scholars such as the late Prof. V.N. Misra of India in analysis of stone tools and Prof. Salle of France at the excavations of Mahasthan, Bangladesh. He has directed a number of excavations in the late Pleistocene, early Holocene rock shelters and open air sites such as Batadomba Lena and Bellan-bandi Palassa where he pioneered application of geo-archaeological and bio-archaeological methods.

Out of his many publications, what could be considered his magnum opus is his Prehistoric Sri Lanka in the British Archaeological Report series (Oxford) which was the most important research publication on Sri Lankan archaeology during the first decade of this century. His other notable works are ÔÇÿPeople of the ancient rainforest: anatomically modern late Pleistocene foragers at the Batadomba Lena rockshelter, Sri LankaÔÇÖ in the Journal of Human Evolution Vol. 61 (3) which ranks in the 10^th position of the top twenty articles in the World which awarded him the National Research Council Merit Award for Scientific Publication 2011, ÔÇÿFirst technological comparison of African Howieson Poort and South Asian Microlith Industries: an exploration of inter-regional variability in microlith assemblageÔÇÖ in the Quaternary International 2014 which he Co-authored, and ÔÇÿBone technology in South Asia from late Pleistocene rockshelter Deposits in Sri LankaÔÇÖ in Osseous Projectile Weaponry: Towards an Understanding of Pleistocene Cultural Variability VERT series, New York.

The post Archaeology.lk interviews Dr. H. Nimal Perera appeared first on Sri Lanka Archaeology.

• Postgraduate Diploma in Archaeology (One-year)
• Postgraduate Diploma in Museology (One-year)
• Postgraduate Diploma in Heritage Studies (One-year)
• Master of Arts Degree in Archaeology (One-year taught program)
• Master of Arts Degree in Heritage Studies (Research)
• Master of Arts (Two-year research program)
• Master of Science Degree in Archaeology (Two-year course work research program)
• Master of Philosophy (M.Phil)
• Doctor

  of Philosophy (Ph.D)

Postgraduate Institute of ArchaeologyCourses will be conducted in

Sinhala/English.

The dead line for application is November 30, 2010.

You can collect the applications from Postgraduate Institute of Archaeology, 407, Bauddhaloka Mawatha, Colombo 7 by paying application fees(Rs. 150.00).

For more information call 011 2694151 Ext.224.

Download the full paper advertisement from here.

The post Postgraduate Courses in Archaeology – Heritage – Museology at PGIAR appeared first on Sri Lanka Archaeology.

Abstract

Veddah is the last remaining group of people in Sri Lanka who are believed to be the descendents of the prehistoric man. Therefore an evolutionary point of view Veddah could be the true survival of the fittest present in Sri Lanka. A new project is launched under the auspicious of the Post Graduate Institute of Archaeology of the University of Kelaniya in order to obtain information from the Veddah particularly for the reconstruction of the prehistoric lifestyle and to characterize the artifacts found in the archaeological excavations. This attempt would be successful and efficient if the life and culture of the VeddahÔÇÖs is known better because Veddah it is hypothesized in this project that the Veddah would be the last remaining link to the prehistoric man in Sri Lanka. Once a month for one complete year Dambana and surrounding Veddah villages would be visited to observe how environment, ecology and human behavior change in an annual circler. Those three dimensions would be studied by living with them and from formal interviews. Basically, three topics have already been identified for further studies such as hunting practices, aboriginal taxonomy, and fishing practices.

Read the full paper

Weliange W.S1, A.S Dandeniya2, Prageeth Elgiriya1, B. Nalin Deepal Munasinghe3, Gamini Adikari1 & Nimal De Silva1

1Postgraduate Institute of Archaeology, 407, Bauddhaloka Mawatha, Colombo 7, Sri Lanka
2BGJF

Consultancy Services, 35A ›, Sunethradewi Road Kohuwala, Nugegoda, Sri Lanka

3Vanneale-eththo Heritage Center, Dambana

The post Aboriginal Ecology; finding missing link between prehistoric man and the modern man appeared first on Sri Lanka Archaeology.