Balangoda Man - Origin

Origin

There is evidence of Paleolithic (Homo erectus) people in Sri Lanka about 300,000 BP and possibly even as early as 500,000 BP. There is strong evidence of prehistoric settlements in Sri Lanka by about 125,000 BP.

Anthropologically modern human remains have been found which have been dated 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.

In June 2012, the oldest complete anatomically modern human skeleton in Asia was discovered at Pahiyangala in Bulathsinhala. Earlier, two crania were discovered here, dated to 37,000 BP.

The height of adult Balangoda Man is estimated at 174 cm for males and 166 cm for females. The bones are robust, with thick skull-bones, prominent brow-ridges, depressed noses, heavy jaws and short necks.

The tool kit of Balangoda Man is distinguished by the occurrence of geometric microliths, comprising small (less than 4 cm long) flakes of quartz and (rarely) chert fashioned into stylised lunate, triangular and trapezoidal forms. S. U. Deraniyagala, Former Director-General of Archaeologyin Sri Lanka, says that such geometric microliths have traditionally been considered the hallmark of the Mesolithic period as first defined in Europe. The earliest dates for the geometric microlithic tradition in Europe are around 12,000 BP. Hence it came as a surprise when such tools were found as early as 31,000 BP at Batadombalena and 28,000 BP at two coastal sites in Bundala and over 30,000 BP at Belilena.