Group photo of the Sino-Sri Lankan joint archaeological team.
Under the guidance of the "Belt and Road" initiative, since 2017, Polytechnic University has signed an excavation and research cooperation agreement with the University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, to carry out archaeological work on the ancient port of Mantai in the Indian Ocean for three consecutive years, opening a new chapter in the archaeology of the Maritime Silk Road.
From January to February, led by the Center for Archaeological Science and the School of Archaeology and Museums of our university, together with the Sichuan Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, the Chengdu Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, and the National Archaeological Administration of Sri Lanka and the Department of Archaeology of the University of Kelaniya, a joint archaeological team was formed to carry out archaeological excavations at the Pabalugala site in the northwest province of Sri Lanka and achieved important results.
Glass beads unearthed at the site.
Geophysical and archaeological exploration mapping.
The joint archaeological work used a high-precision cesium optical pump magnetometer to carry out geophysical archaeological surveys, and the excavation area of 48 square meters in the core area of the site revealed several relics related to a large number of relics related to glass production. Among them, a semi-crypt kiln was discovered in T1; In trenches TG2 and TG3, the remains of multiple ash pits, stone walls and post holes were found. The unearthed relics include a large number of sand-filled red pottery, brown pottery, glass beads of various colors and glass products up to 10,000 pieces, which provide a precious physical basis for the study of the cultural characteristics and historical changes of the Pabalugala site.
Members of the Sino-Sri Lankan archaeological team excavated the site of Pabalugala.
This joint archaeological work is an important part of the university's practice of the "Belt and Road" people-to-people exchanges and cooperation. In the future, the archaeological team of Sichuan University will work hand in hand with Sri Lankan archaeological institutions to promote and inherit the excellent history and culture of countries along the "Belt and Road", promote exchanges and mutual learning among different civilizations, and promote people-to-people understanding and mutual understanding.
The site of Pabarugala is an important part of the archaeological project in the port of Mantey and a key link in the ancient Indian Ocean**. Located in the Kurunegala Plain in western Sri Lanka, the site was once an important commodity producing area in the Indo-Pacific maritime system, and its products can be found at multiple sites in early East Asian history, dating from the 3rd century BC to the 10th century AD. Due to the lack of archaeological work in the past, there has been no in-depth understanding of the cultural connotation of the site.
* Faculty of History and Culture (Faculty of Tourism, Faculty of Archaeology, Culture and Museums).
Edited by Yuan Yue.