KALUKOLA DENIYA CAVE

Herbert Daniel Gebauer - 06/01/2018

A cave or rock shelter without identified shape or dimensions (Brooks 1995 Mss, item no. 24) is said to have yielded, on archaeological excavation, one of the first stone celts or adzes, which gentlemen inclined to cherish antiquarian tastes, discovered in Sri Lanka. SITUATION (CEYLON TRAVELLER 1974: 254; 1983: 256): The Kalukoladeniya cave [note 2] is situated close to Akiriyagala [note 3], near Kegalla (N07°15'11”: E080°21'). CULTURAL HISTORY - Archaeology: CEYLON TRAVELLER (1974: 254; 1983: 256): Unlike most caves in this part of the country, it has no association with Buddhist history. … exploration of its floor yielded a stone celt of fine grained crystalline rock. The celt is believed to belong to a late Stone Age industry. DERANIYAGALA, S U (2002): The extreme rarity of stone celts in Sri Lanka (An excellent specimen on chert has been discovered in the Samanala-wewa explorations around Kinchigune [note 4]; G.Juleff 1990, pers. comm.), despite the occasional availability of ine-grained igneous rocks such as dolerite for their manufacture, suggests that functionally they were not essential for the subsistence economy: the felling of trees and the tilling of the ground were probably not vital operations, unlike in a Neolithic economy (Despite the evidence for barley and oats cultivation on the Horton Plains [note 5] at 10,000 - 7,500 BP, it is noteworthy that stone celts have not been found.A cave or rock shelter without identified shape or dimensions (Brooks 1995 Mss, item no. 24) is said to have yielded, on archaeological excavation, one of the first stone celts or adzes, which gentlemen inclined to cherish antiquarian tastes, discovered in Sri Lanka. SITUATION (CEYLON TRAVELLER 1974: 254; 1983: 256): The Kalukoladeniya cave [note 2] is situated close to Akiriyagala [note 3], near Kegalla (N07°15'11”: E080°21'). CULTURAL HISTORY - Archaeology: CEYLON TRAVELLER (1974: 254; 1983: 256): Unlike most caves in this part of the country, it has no association with Buddhist history. … exploration of its floor yielded a stone celt of fine grained crystalline rock. The celt is believed to belong to a late Stone Age industry. DERANIYAGALA, S U (2002): The extreme rarity of stone celts in Sri Lanka (An excellent specimen on chert has been discovered in the Samanala-wewa explorations around Kinchigune [note 4]; G.Juleff 1990, pers. comm.), despite the occasional availability of ine-grained igneous rocks such as dolerite for their manufacture, suggests that functionally they were not essential for the subsistence economy: the felling of trees and the tilling of the ground were probably not vital operations, unlike in a Neolithic economy (Despite the evidence for barley and oats cultivation on the Horton Plains [note 5] at 10,000 - 7,500 BP, it is noteworthy that stone celts have not been found.