The Discovery and Excavation of a Human Burial from the Mini-athiliya Shell Midden in Southern Sri Lanka

Kulatilake, Samanti; Perera, Nimal; Deraniyagala, Siran; Perera, Jude

doi:10.5334/aa.12319

Cited by 11 publications

(31 citation statements)

References 21 publications

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“…B.P. (Kulatilake et al 2014). In the absence of contextual data that would normally accompany a systematic excavation, we cautiously apply these dates to the associated midden material from the pits dug up during the mining process.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 96%

“…A higher reliance on marine resources is indicated from the fish bones of shark, barracuda, and trevally present at Godawaya. The Godawaya site lacks evidence for the high exploitation of shell species, one of the primary food sources among the Pallemalala and Mini-athiliya people located further inland (Karunaratne et al 2016;Kulatilake et al 2014;Somadeva and Ranasinghe 2006). The faunal remains, artifacts and burial practices from the Pallemalala and Godawaya sites are similar to the finds and observations from Mini-athiliya.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 88%

“…Due to the paucity of diagnostic elements, among the five individuals identified from the mixed debris, accurate sexing was not possible. However, the complete burial (HMA 6) recovered in situ included ossa coxae and cranial elements that enabled accurate sexing (Kulatilake et al 2014).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Perera 2009). It was placed in a plaster cast with the surrounding matrix and was examined separately (Kulatilake et al 2014). In this study we assessed the dentition for this individual.…”

Section: Hmamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Perera 2009). The shell middens and habitations such as those located in Pallemalala, Godawaya, and Mini-athiliya have revealed a clear anthropogenic signature (Deraniyagala 1992;Karunaratne et al 2016;Kulatilake 2009;Kulatilake et al 2014;Somadeva and Ranasinghe 2006;Wahl n.d.).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Out of Context, in Association: Human Remains Salvaged from the Mini-athiliya Shell Midden, Sri Lanka

Kulatilake¹,

Peiris²,

Perera³

et al. 2018

Asian Perspectives

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The skeletal evidence for early modern human occupation of South Asia is sparse. Sri Lanka has been occupied by modern humans from the terminal Pleistocene, with a skeletal record indicating continuity of occupation and settlement into the late Holocene. This study focuses on the analysis of fragmented human remains dated to the mid-Holocene recovered from a salvage archaeology operation conducted at a shell midden in the coastal village of Mini-athiliya in southern Sri Lanka. The Mini-athiliya site has been radiocarbon dated to ca. 3600 B.P. Large quantities of estuarine, marine, and terrestrial shells, stone tools, lithic debris, and animal bones were associated with the human skeletal remains recovered from this shell midden. The skeletal remains, faunal remains, and stone tools from this site have been greatly disturbed by recent shell mining activities. Much of the material collected from the piles of debris was mixed, fragmented, and out of context. Our study refers to associations we make to the cultural assemblage from this site to make inferences on the context of skeletal remains found. The minimum number of individuals (MNI) identified from commingled remains is five. In addition, another individual from an undisturbed context from this site was previously reported. Based on tooth eruption and the presence and level of dental attrition, the estimated age at death for these individuals ranges from 5 to 45 years. Heavy attrition in the adult dentition indicates a highly abrasive diet with a marked absence of caries among these relatively robust people. This study contributes to the understanding of the bioarchaeological aspects of mid-Holocene aquatic foragers who were contemporaries of early agricultural people of South Asia, while describing a framework for managing a skeletal sample from a disturbed context.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 96%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 88%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Perera 2009). It was placed in a plaster cast with the surrounding matrix and was examined separately (Kulatilake et al 2014). In this study we assessed the dentition for this individual.…”

Section: Hmamentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Out of Context, in Association: Human Remains Salvaged from the Mini-athiliya Shell Midden, Sri Lanka

Kulatilake¹,

Peiris²,

Perera³

et al. 2018

Asian Perspectives

Self Cite

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Archaeology and ecology of acavus snails in Sri Lanka’s semi-arid to intermediate zones: uncovering holocene microclimatic changes

Siriwardana,

Manusinghe

2024

asian archaeol

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This study presents a discovery of Acavus haemastoma, wet-humid favouring arboreal land snails from Semi-Arid coastal lagoon habitat during the late Holocene period in Southern Sri Lanka, occurring around the mid-4th millennium BP. These findings challenge established notions regarding palaeoecological conditions within the Semi-Arid and Transitional Zones (SATZ), prompting a re-evaluation of prevailing archaeological assumptions. We propose that the presence of Acavus sp. in the SATZ is primarily attributed to their natural behaviours rather than anthropogenic influences. In conjunction with an examination of early archaeological literature, we explore the implications of humid phases within the SATZ, aligning these phases with Acavus snails’ distribution patterns and climatic fluctuations and proposing the value of land snails in Sri Lanka as a potential proxy for small scale micro-climatic conditions.

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Changing climates and emerging patterns: Prehistoric human diet of Sri Lanka from Late Pleistocene through Late Holocene

Weerarathne,

Pitawala,

Peiris

et al. 2023

Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports

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The Discovery and Excavation of a Human Burial from the Mini-athiliya Shell Midden in Southern Sri Lanka

Cited by 11 publications

References 21 publications

Out of Context, in Association: Human Remains Salvaged from the Mini-athiliya Shell Midden, Sri Lanka

Out of Context, in Association: Human Remains Salvaged from the Mini-athiliya Shell Midden, Sri Lanka

Archaeology and ecology of acavus snails in Sri Lanka’s semi-arid to intermediate zones: uncovering holocene microclimatic changes

Changing climates and emerging patterns: Prehistoric human diet of Sri Lanka from Late Pleistocene through Late Holocene

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