The evidence of historic settlements in Sri Lanka by 130,000 years ago, probably by 300,000 BP and possibly by 500,000 BP or earlier. the investigations indicate that interglacially correlated with increased atmospheric activity over the island - which was manifested in correspondingly increased rainfall on the windward aspect of the central mountains and increased desiccation on the leeward side due to the drying foehn effect of katabatic winds. This model has been transposed to the eight major ecozones of the country with their respective prehistoric carrying capacities fluctuating in phase with climatic shifts. Population densities in these ecozones have been estimated for the Quaternary on the basis of ethnographic analogy. Subsistence strategy has also been assessed through archaeological evidence against a backdrop of ethnographic analogy and postulated biotic resources that would have been available for exploitation by Quaternary foragers. At the commencement of the 1st millennium BC, there are indications of a rapid transition from a geometric microlith-using Mesolithic culture to the Early Iron Age, with horse, cattle, pottery and paddy cultivation. It is proposed that with iron technology (for clearing hitherto intractable equatorial rainforest) a greatly enhanced food production capability increased carrying capacity several-fold, thus attracting long distance links with India. The latter possibly involved migrations, of which the Indo-Aryan Sinhalese language (which was in use in Sri Lanka since at least 500 BC) could be but one manifestation.
The last one million years, when humans are known to have existed in various parts of India , Sri Lanka was connected to the sub-continent on numerous occasions. The rise and fall of sea level (due to cold/warm fluctuations in the global climate) determined the periodicities of these connections, the last separation having occurred at ca. 7000 BP
Hence it is impossible to view Sri Lankan prehistory in isolation from India. It is very likely that the first settlers from India had reached Sri Lanka at least as early as one million years ago - perhaps earlier. So far, evidence on this score has not been forthcoming, but this need not signify that there were no humans in Sri Lanka at that period. Environmentally there would have been no hindrance whatsoever to hominid settlement, in terms of both accessibility and exploitable food and water. There are, however, ancient coastal sands in the north and southeast of the island which could be as early as 250,000 (or even 700,000-500,000) BP .Whether these sands contain evidence of human habitation has yet to be determined, a prime research goal for the future. By about 125,000 BP if is certain that there were prehistoric settlements in Sri Lanka.
The evidence stems from excavations conducted in coastal deposits near Bundala. These people made tools of quartz (and a few on chert) which are assignable to a Middle Paleolithic complex. Apart from such tools, no other vestiges of their culture have survived the ravages of time and tropical weathering: we do not know what these people looked like, although it can be guessed that they were early Homo sapiens sapiens akin to anatomically modern South Asians. Even the sizes of their settlements are not known due to the limited scale of the evaluation excavations; surface indications are ca.50 square metres or less per site. That they lived by hunting and gathering is obvious and it is probable that this conformed to the pattern discernible in the activities of their descendants some 100,000 years later.
There is evidence of Paleolithic (Homo Erectus) people in Sri Lanka about 300,000 BP and possibly even as early as 500,000 BP. By about 125,000 BP if is certain that there were pre-historic settlements in Sri Lanka.
Anthropologically modern human remains have been found dating back to the subsequent culture of the second STONE AGE period - which appears to have endured until about 1000 BCE in Sri Lanka with the transition to Iron working. This Mesolithic culture was known as the Balangoda Culture.Balangoda People (Balangoda Manawaya) were anatomically modern humans who first appeared in Sri Lanka about 34,000 BP.
List of pre Historic Caves and Locations
Anthropologically modern human remains have been found dating back to the subsequent culture of the second STONE AGE period - which appears to have endured until about 1000 BCE in Sri Lanka with the transition to Iron working. This Mesolithic culture was known as the Balangoda Culture.Balangoda People (Balangoda Manawaya) were anatomically modern humans who first appeared in Sri Lanka about 34,000 BP.
List of pre Historic Caves and Locations
Batadombalena - Kuruwita - 28,000 --11,000 bp
Belilena - Kitulgala (Maniyangama) - 7500 Before Present
Bellanbandi Palassa - Pansadara Chena, Balangoda - 6,500 bp
Dorawaka Lena(Dorawaka-kanda) - Kegalle
Fa Hien Cave - Kalutara (Pahiyangala) - 34,000 --31,000 bp
Horton Plains - Maha Eliya
Wavula Pane - Ratnapura
Alulena (athanagoda) -- 10,350 bp
Anuradhapura - 3200-2800
Bundala -28,000 bp
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