March 2013
·
1,455 Reads
·
8 Citations
Historical Archaeology
Assuming that maritime archaeology conducted in Sri Lanka is new to most readers, the present paper has been written with a dual purpose. First, it tries to give some background to the birth and growth of the discipline in this country and shows its involvement in ICOMOS-ICUCH (International Council on Monuments and Sites-International Committee on the Underwater Cultural Heritage) activities. Second, it tries to deal with the focus of the 2013 SHA conference by addressing three sites, each of which can be developed into a case study relating to the conference themes. Sri Lanka was always a place where East/West shipping interacted, whether before or after A.D. 1500, and was also always conscious of the looming presence of India. This paper, however, deals only with material aspects in the period after 1500.