Under the guidance of the "Belt and Road" initiative, Sichuan University and the University of Kelaniya in Sri Lanka have been collaborating on excavation research since 2017, focusing on the ancient port of Mantai in the Indian Ocean. This collaboration has marked the beginning of a new chapter in maritime Silk Road archaeology. From January to February this year, led by the Archaeological Science Center and the School of Archaeology and Museology at Sichuan University, in conjunction with the Sichuan Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, and the Chengdu Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, a joint archaeological team was formed with the Sri Lanka Department of Archaeology and the University of Kelaniya Department of Archaeology to conduct excavations at the Pabalugala site in the Northwestern Province of Sri Lanka, yielding significant findings.
The joint archaeological efforts utilized high-precision cesium magnetometers for geophysical surveys. Excavations covered an area of 48 square meters in the core area of the site, revealing numerous remains and a plethora of artifacts related to glass production. Among the discoveries, Excavation Unit T1 unearthed a semi-subterranean kiln, while Trenches TG2 and TG3 revealed multiple ash pits, stone walls, and postholes. Unearthed artifacts included a large quantity of sand-tempered red ware, brown ware, various colored glass beads, and glass products totaling over ten thousand pieces, providing invaluable physical evidence for studying the cultural characteristics and historical changes at the Pabalugala site.
The Pabalugala site, an integral part of the Mantai Port archaeological project, played a crucial role in ancient Indian Ocean trade. Located in the Kurunegala Plains in western Sri Lanka, it served as a major production area for commodities in the Indo-Pacific maritime trade system, with its products found in numerous sites across early East Asian history dating from the 3rd century BCE to the 10th century CE. Due to the lack of previous archaeological work, the cultural significance of this site has not been deeply understood until now.
The joint Sino-Sri Lankan archaeological team takes a group photo at the excavation site. Image courtesy of Sichuan University.
Glass beads unearthed from the archaeological site. Image provided by Sichuan University.
