Speaker A
Welcome to Grade 10 History Lesson 2, Ancient Settlements Part 2, so let's get started without any further ado.
Explore ancient Stone Age settlements in Sri Lanka, their tools, habitats, and lifestyle in this Grade 10 history lesson.
Key Takeaways
- Sri Lanka's Stone Age settlements span over 125,000 years with diverse habitats and tools.
- Prehistoric people adapted to different environments and had seasonal living patterns.
- Stone tools evolved, with middle-stone age tools made from alabaster.
- Burial practices included cave and open-area graveyards, indicating complex social behaviors.
- Archaeological sites provide valuable insights into the lifestyle, diet, and movement of prehistoric humans.
Summary
- Stone Age evidence in Hambantota district dates back 125,000 years, found in the Iranamadu gravel layer.
- Prehistoric sites across Sri Lanka range from 38,000 to 3,800 years old, including caves and outdoor camps.
- Pahiyangala cave in Bulathsinhala reveals habitation of prehistoric people 38,000 years ago in the lowland wet zone.
- Middle-Stone Age tools were geometric and made from pure alabaster stone called 'Bim Weeduru'.
- Prehistoric humans adapted to various environments, living in forests, coastal lagoons, and grasslands with easy water and stone access.
- Habitations included outdoor camps and caves, with seasonal movement between open areas and caves.
- Key prehistoric sites include coastal camps (Minihagalkanda, Bundala), wet zone caves (Pahiyangala, Batadombalena), and dry zone caves (Pothana, Aligala).
- Stone Age people lived in small groups, hunted diverse animals, and buried their dead in caves or open graveyards.
- Daily life involved hunting, gathering, and moving frequently, walking up to 7 km daily for food.
- Significant archaeological finds include skeletons in Bellanbendipelassa, Belilena cave, and Pahiyangala cave.
Full Transcript — Download SRT & Markdown
Speaker A
Where was evidence of the Stone Age discovered in the Hambantota district? Evidence of the Stone Age was discovered from the gravel layer belonging to the Iranamadu formation located in the depth of 45 feet from the surface level of the earth in the area called Pathirajawela in Hambantota district.
Speaker A
How old is the gravel layer discovered in Pathirajawela according to scientific analysis? The gravel layer discovered in Pathirajawela is 125,000 years old according to scientific analysis.
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How old is the gravel layer found in Bundala, Wellegangoda? The gravel layer found in Bundala, Wellegangoda, is 80,000 years old.
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How long did the Stone Age exist in Sri Lanka? The Stone Age in Sri Lanka existed continuously from before 125,000 years up to 1800 B.C. minimum.
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What significant information does the Pahiyangala cave reveal? The Pahiyangala cave reveals significant information about the prehistoric people who lived in the lowland wet zone in Sri Lanka 38,000 years ago.
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What are the time periods of other prehistoric sites in Sri Lanka? Kuruwita Batadombalena: 28,000 years ago, Kitulgala Belilena: 15,000 years ago, Bellanbendipelassa: 12,000 years ago, Attanagoda Alulena: 10,350 years ago, Maniyamgala: 7,900 years ago, Sigiriya Pothana: 5,800 years ago, Sigiriya Aligala: 5,500 years ago, Udamalala: 5,330 years ago, Mathota: 3,800 years ago.
Speaker A
Now let's talk about Pahiyangala Cave.
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Where is the Pahiyangala cave located? The Pahiyangala cave is located in Bulathsinhala, Kaluthara District.
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How old is the habitation of prehistoric men in the Pahiyangala cave? The habitation of prehistoric men in the Pahiyangala cave dates back to 38,000 years ago.
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What does the Pahiyangala cave reveal about prehistoric people? The Pahiyangala cave reveals significant information about the prehistoric people who lived in the lowland wet zone in Sri Lanka.
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Now let's talk about Stone Tools of the Middle-Stone Age.
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What type of stone tools belonged to the middle-stone age in Sri Lanka?
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A few stone tools in geometric shapes belonged to the middle-stone age in Sri Lanka.
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What material were the middle-stone age tools made of?
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The middle-stone age tools were made of pure alabaster stone known as 'Bim Weeduru'.
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Now let's talk about Key Features of Prehistoric Settlements.
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How did prehistoric humans in Sri Lanka expand their settlements?
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Prehistoric humans in Sri Lanka expanded by undergoing adaptation to different environmental conditions.
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Where did prehistoric humans prefer to live?
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Prehistoric humans preferred to live in places with abundant natural resources needed for food, such as lowland rain forests, dry zone forests, coastal lagoons and creeks, and hill country grasslands.
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What factors influenced their choice of settlement areas?
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They preferred areas with easy availability of water and various types of stones for making their stone tools.
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Where did prehistoric humans live during the dry and rainy seasons?
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They lived in open areas during the dry season and in natural caves during the rainy season.
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What types of prehistoric habitations have been discovered so far?
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Several prehistoric outdoor camps and cave habitations have been discovered.
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Now let's talk about Prehistoric Habitations in Sri Lanka.
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What are examples of outdoor camps in the coastal areas from prehistoric times?
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Examples of outdoor camps in the coastal areas include Minihagalkanda, Bundala, and Pathirajawela.
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Which lowland wet zone caves were used as prehistoric habitations?
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The lowland wet zone caves include Pahiyangala, Batadombalena, and Kithulgala Beli Lena.
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Name the lowland dry zone caves that were prehistoric habitations.
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The lowland dry zone caves are Pothana and Aligala in Sigiriya.
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Where were outdoor camps located in the lowland wet zone?
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Outdoor camps in the lowland wet zone were located in Bellanbendipelessa.
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Now let's talk about Prehistoric Habitations in Sri Lanka.
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What are examples of outdoor camps in the coastal areas from prehistoric times?
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Examples of outdoor camps in the coastal areas include Minihagalkanda, Bundala, and Pathirajawela.
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Which lowland wet zone caves were used as prehistoric habitations?
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The lowland wet zone caves include Pahiyangala, Batadombalena, and Kithulgala Beli Lena.
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Name the lowland dry zone caves that were prehistoric habitations.
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The lowland dry zone caves are Pothana and Aligala in Sigiriya.
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Where were outdoor camps located in the lowland wet zone?
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Outdoor camps in the lowland wet zone were located in Bellanbendipelessa.
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What are examples of outdoor hunting places in hillside areas from prehistoric times?
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Examples include Bandarawela and Horton Plains.
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What are examples of outdoor hunting places in hillside areas from prehistoric times?
Speaker A
Examples include Bandarawela and Horton Plains.
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Below are several prehistoric outdoor camps and cave habitations, discovered so far.
Speaker A
So now let's talk about them.
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Minihagalkanda, Bundala, Pathirajawela, they belong to outdoor camps in the coastal areas.
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Pahiyangala, Batadombalena, Kithulgala Beli Lena, they belong to lowland wet zone caves.
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Pothana and Aligala in Sigiriya, they belong to lowland dry zone caves.
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Bellanbendipelessa, they belong to outdoor camps in lowland wet zone.
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Bandarawela, Horton Plains, they belong to outdoor hunting places in hillside areas.
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Now let's talk about Lifestyle of the Prehistoric People.
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How did the people of the Stone Age live?
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People of this era lived by hunting, roaming from one place to another, and gathering what they could consume as food.
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Where did the people live during heavy rainy seasons?
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During heavy rainy seasons, they lived in natural caves.
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What was the population size of groups during the Stone Age?
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Their population consisted of small groups, typically comprising 15-25 members, with a maximum number believed to be around 50.
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How much area was required for a family of five members?
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An area of 50 square metres was enough for a family of five members.
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What was the area of the Church Hill site in Bandarawela, and how many people are assumed to have lived there?
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The Church Hill site in Bandarawela was 150 square metres, and it is assumed that 25 people might have lived there.
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How large was the Bellanbendipelassa site, and what was found there?
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The Bellanbendipelassa site was 120 square, thirty human skeletons were discovered there.
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What determined the nature of the food consumed by the people in the Stone Age?
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The nature of the food consumed was decided by the resources available in the environment where they lived.
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Where did people spend their time during the dry season?
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During the dry season, they spent their time in temporary camps built in open areas.
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How far did the Stone Age people walk daily in search of food?
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They walked a distance of about 7 kilometres per day searching for food.
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Where did Stone Age people bury their dead?
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As they lived a temporary life in caves, they sometimes buried the dead bodies of their relatives inside the caves.
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How were burial pits created?
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Burial pits were dug using a piece of horn or a stick, into which the dead body was placed and then covered with garbage.
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What significant discovery was made in the Belilena cave in Kithulgala?
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Twelve skeletons were discovered in the Belilena cave in Kithulgala, buried in pits in this manner.
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What was found in the graveyard at Bellanbendipelessa?
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In the open-area graveyard at Bellanbendipelessa, 30 skeletons belonging to the Stone Age were discovered.
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How many skeletons were found belonging to different ages in the cave in Pahiyangala?
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Nine skeletons belonging to different ages were discovered.
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Now let's talk about Food Habits of the Stone Age People.
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What types of animals did Stone Age people hunt for food?
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They hunted gaur, buffalo, black bear, wild boar, deer, spotted deer, porcupine, hedgehog, hare, stag, giant squirrel, mongoose, wild fowl, monkey, civet cat, and iguana.
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Now let's talk about Food Habits of the Stone Age People.
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What type of aquatic food did they consume?
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They consumed freshwater fish, which were rich in protein, and small fish found in natural water pools in the lowland wet zone.
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What plant-based foods were part of their diet?
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Their diet included wild breadfruit, wild plantains, yams like Gonala and Katuala, seeds of Kithul, and the kernel of Dothalu.
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What evidence was discovered in the Belilena cave in Kithulgala about their food?
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Evidence showed that seeds of wild breadfruit had been baked and eaten 12,500 years ago.
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How did they prepare their food?
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Some food was baked before consumption, as evidenced by findings in a few examined places.
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Now let's talk about Additional Food Habits of Prehistoric People.
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What type of mollusks did prehistoric people consume?
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They ate tree-snails and lagoon oysters.
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How did prehistoric people living inland obtain salt?
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They traveled long distances to coastal areas to collect salt.
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What evidence suggests that salt was transported inland?
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Remnants of lagoon oysters found in Kithulgala Belilena were identified to be mixed with salt brought from coastal regions.
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Prehistoric Technology in Sri Lanka.
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What is the primary evidence of technology from the Stone Age?
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The primary evidence is the stone tools used by prehistoric people.
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Why is it difficult to form a complete understanding of Stone Age technology in Sri Lanka?
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Due to the lack of sufficient stone tools and inadequate knowledge of their exact time period.
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What are geometric micro stone tools?
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These are small stone tools with geometric shapes, not exceeding 4.5 cm in length, used for various purposes like hunting and cutting.
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What materials were used to make micro stone tools?
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They were primarily made from quartz and some 'Kahanda' stones.
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What were some other prehistoric tools used apart from micro stone tools?
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Tools like hammers and grinding stones were made using granite.
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Now let's talk about Physical Characteristics of Prehistoric People in Sri Lanka.
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What was the average height of prehistoric males and females?
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The average height of a grown male was 174 cm, while a grown female was about 166 cm.
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What were some distinct physical features of prehistoric people?
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They had large teeth, a wide nose, and a prominent chin.
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What was the brain size of prehistoric males and females?
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The brain size of a grown male was 1600 cm³, while that of a grown female was 920 cm³.
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What was the estimated lifespan of prehistoric people?
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Anthropologists estimate that the maximum lifespan of prehistoric humans was around 35-40 years.
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Now let's talk about Rituals of Prehistoric People in Sri Lanka.
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What evidence suggests that prehistoric people had burial rituals?
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Excavations in Rawana Ella cave near Badulla revealed a human skull that was perforated, polished, and painted with red ochre.
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Similar findings of human skeletons painted with red ochre were found in Pahiyangala cave.
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How were bodies buried in Batadomba Lena cave?
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Skeletons in Batadomba Lena cave were found curled and buried, indicating a ritualistic burial practice.
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What connection exists between prehistoric Sri Lankans and the Vedda community?
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Researchers have identified cultural and biological similarities between prehistoric Stone Age people and Sri Lanka's indigenous Vedda community.
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Okay, now let's talk about Prehistoric Cemetery in Sri Lanka.
Speaker A
Where was a prehistoric cemetery discovered in Sri Lanka?
Speaker A
A prehistoric cemetery was discovered in the premises of Kolambageara Ranchamadama Government School in the Rathnapura district, Sabaragamuwa province.
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When was this prehistoric cemetery excavated?
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The excavation took place in 2007.
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How old is the cemetery?
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The cemetery was used around 3,350 years ago.
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Now let's talk about Prehistoric Human Skeleton in Sri Lanka.
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Where was a prehistoric human skeleton discovered in Sri Lanka?
Speaker A
A prehistoric human skeleton was discovered in the Pothana cave near Sigiriya.
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Which institution provided the photograph of this discovery?
Speaker A
The photograph was provided by the Postgraduate Institute of Archaeology.
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Now let's talk about Prehistoric Artifacts in Sri Lanka.
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What material was used to make a prehistoric bead found in Sri Lanka?
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The bead was made from a piece of animal bone.
Speaker A
So that's the end of the part three of this video.
Speaker A
So we have discussed, so we have discussed and finished.
Speaker A
Prehistoric settlements, so in the part four of this video, we will be discussing protohistoric era and early historic era.
Speaker A
So stay tuned and subscribe us.
Speaker A
Thank you.
Speaker A
Thanks for watching.
Topics:Stone Age Sri Lankaprehistoric settlementsancient toolsPahiyangala caveprehistoric lifestylearchaeology Sri Lankaprehistoric burialmiddle stone age toolsprehistoric campsGrade 10 history
