Goods and Texts: Creating an Archaeological and Historical Narrative of Sri Lanka’s Connectivity with Southeast Asia, China, and Beyond
Dublin Core
Title
Goods and Texts: Creating an Archaeological and Historical Narrative of Sri Lanka’s Connectivity with Southeast Asia, China, and Beyond
Description
This paper deals with Sri Lanka’s interactions with Southeast Asia, China, and regions beyond from the beginning to
the middle of the thirteenth century CE. Several factors, including its central location in the Indian Ocean, have
contributed to connecting the island with these regions. Ceramics, epigraphic, and textual data provide the best
evidence for reconstructing such interactions. This paper is primarily based on the analysis of ceramics unearthed
from the coastal port-urban centres of Mantai, Kantharodai, and Kirinda. This data is compared with the ceramic data
from other sites such as Anuradhapura and Thissamaharama, as well as sites from the Indian Ocean Rim, for
comparison. Material analysis results are compared against and supplemented by epigraphic and textual data. The key
research question addressed here is: What different patterns of Sri Lanka’s connectivity with the eastern segment of
the Indian Ocean might emerge through the analysis of material and textual evidence? Research reveals that the
material evidence not only predates textual evidence for the beginning of Sri Lanka’s interactions with the region
under study but also clearly indicates their continuity up to the middle of the thirteenth century CE. Material evidence,
including beads and the transfer of iron technology, dates the earliest relationships to the middle of the first millennium
BCE. These cultural-commercial connections were regularized and intensified after the fifth and seventh centuries
CE, respectively. Sri Lanka’s culture- historical developments, in general, have always been influenced by the
changing dynamics of the Indian Ocean.
the middle of the thirteenth century CE. Several factors, including its central location in the Indian Ocean, have
contributed to connecting the island with these regions. Ceramics, epigraphic, and textual data provide the best
evidence for reconstructing such interactions. This paper is primarily based on the analysis of ceramics unearthed
from the coastal port-urban centres of Mantai, Kantharodai, and Kirinda. This data is compared with the ceramic data
from other sites such as Anuradhapura and Thissamaharama, as well as sites from the Indian Ocean Rim, for
comparison. Material analysis results are compared against and supplemented by epigraphic and textual data. The key
research question addressed here is: What different patterns of Sri Lanka’s connectivity with the eastern segment of
the Indian Ocean might emerge through the analysis of material and textual evidence? Research reveals that the
material evidence not only predates textual evidence for the beginning of Sri Lanka’s interactions with the region
under study but also clearly indicates their continuity up to the middle of the thirteenth century CE. Material evidence,
including beads and the transfer of iron technology, dates the earliest relationships to the middle of the first millennium
BCE. These cultural-commercial connections were regularized and intensified after the fifth and seventh centuries
CE, respectively. Sri Lanka’s culture- historical developments, in general, have always been influenced by the
changing dynamics of the Indian Ocean.
Creator
Wijerathne Bohingamuwa
Publisher
The Museum of Underwater Archaeology
Date
2023
Language
English
Bibliographic Citation
Bohingamuwa, Wijerathne. 2023. “Goods and Texts: Creating an archaeological and historical narrative of Sri Lanka's connectivity with Southeast Asia, China, and beyond.” Edited by Jennifer Craig, Jay Mok, T. Kurt Knoerl, and Wijerathne Bohingamuwa. In Proceedings of Fifth Asia Pacific Regional Conference on Underwater Cultural Heritage: Gwangju, The Republic of Korea, November 13-18 2023. The Museum of Underwater Archaeology.URL: https://apconf.omeka.net/exhibits/show/apconfproceedings/item/1946
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Citation
Wijerathne Bohingamuwa, “Goods and Texts: Creating an Archaeological and Historical Narrative of Sri Lanka’s Connectivity with Southeast Asia, China, and Beyond,” Asia Pacific Regional Conference on Underwater Cultural Heritage Proceedings, accessed January 15, 2026, https://apconf.omeka.net/items/show/1946.