National Trust lecture: Maritime Archaeology in Sri Lanka
View(s):A Panel Discussion on Maritime Archaeology in Sri Lanka with speakers Somasiri Devendra, Malik Fernando and Rasika Muthucumarana will be the National Trust’s monthly lecture for August.
The 65th Session of the monthly lecture series will be held at the HNB Auditorium, 22nd Floor, HNB Towers, 479 T.B. Jayah Mawatha, Colombo 10 at 6.30 p.m. on Thursday, June 26.
Artifacts found on the seabed near the Godawaya fishing village
While the practice of maritime archaeology in Sri Lanka dates back several decades, the end of the armed conflict has rekindled interest in collaborative official ventures while new treasures are being raised from the seabed every day by amateur divers.
Nature too plays a part as it is told that a storm in the area of Godawaya blew the sand off the surface of the beach exposing a customs house of the Sinhalese Kings. In 2008 a team of maritime archaeologists found a wreck in the same area surrounded by hundreds of potshards on the sea bed which could be traced to the 2nd century
Artifacts found on the seabed near the Godawaya fishing village
BCE, the oldest shipwreck found in the Asian Pacific region.
All three speakers have contributed to the National Trust’s latest publication in its Prestigious Volumes series, Maritime Heritage of Sri Lanka, Ancient Ports and Harbours
Somasiri Devendra commissioned in the Navy and retired as Commandant, Naval Academy. He is a UNESCO Resource person in this field and has conducted training sessions and conducted EIA’s of all major port sites in Sri Lanka
Malik Fernando is a physician by training, with an interest in nature all his life. An accomplished scuba diver, he has, since many years, been engaged in studying the marine habitat and specialises in shelled molluscs or sea shells.
Rasika Muthucumarana is a maritime archaeologist at the Central Cultural Fund who has worked on several early maritime projects in underwater exploration, excavation and conservation including the Godawaya site.
Further information can be obtained from the Trust Office (Tel 2682730) at the Post Graduate Institute of Archaeology, 407, Bauddhaloka Mawatha, Colombo 7.