The Discovery and Excavation of a Human Burial from the Mini-athiliya Shell Midden in Southern Sri Lanka

Samanti Kulatilake,Jude Perera,Siran U. Deraniyagala,Nimal Perera

doi:10.5334/aa.12319

Abstract

Several shell middens of coastal Sri Lanka indicate human occupation in the mid-Holocene and are recognized as being of prime importance in the archaeological narrative of the island. A salvage archaeology operation conducted at the Mini-athiliya shell midden in the Southern Province of Sri Lanka, yielded ancient human remains associated with stone implements and culturally modified faunal remains. The main objective of this rescue operation was to mitigate the destruction to this archaeological site. We report the excavation strategy and dating of this mid-Holocene shell midden, while focusing on the discovery and extraction of a complete human burial that had not been disturbed by the shell mining activity at the site. This excavation is intended to serve as a precursor to systematic investigation of the coastal shell middens of southern Sri Lanka.

Highlights

In the southern coastal belt of Sri Lanka, amidst shallow lagoons and deltas, naturally and artificially accumulated shell deposits are encountered
This paper focuses on the discovery and extraction of a complete human burial that had not been disturbed by the shell mining activity at Mini-athiliya
A preliminary comparison was conducted on the human cranial and dental remains recovered from the mid-Holocene coastal shell midden sites of Miniathiliya and Pallemalala in southern Sri Lanka (Kulatilake, 2012)

Summary

Introduction

In the southern coastal belt of Sri Lanka, amidst shallow lagoons and deltas, naturally and artificially accumulated shell deposits are encountered. From historical times in Sri Lanka, shell deposits have been quarried for lime-based fertilizer, building material, and chicken-feed While quarrying in this particular site of Mini-athiliya, local shell miners observed among the shell debris well-preserved bone and dental remains. Excavation, stratigraphy and contextual information The main objective of the salvage operation at Mini-athiliya was to mitigate the destruction to this archaeological site and it signified the launching of systematic investigations on Sri Lanka’s coastal shell middens. The excavation team conducted a reconnaissance survey of the area, and a test pit measuring 2m x 2m was probed down to the sterile lagoon bed This test pit yielded fragmented skeletal remains, stone tools, and large quantities of shells. A date of 4440 ± 60 BP was obtained by liquid scintillation counting of methanol for

Sigma Calibration

Findings

Discussion