histoy G-10 E

5. The Ancient Science and Technology in Sri Lanka

Introduction

Science is understanding and interpreting the

elements that affect the function of the nature.

It is a process based on experience. Though

it was not discussed in the sense of science,

many ancient societies had realized the

fundamentals of nature and used them in their

day-to-day activities. Even in the historical

society of Sri Lanka, scientific ideas were in

use. In this lesson, we expect to explain the

nature of such ideas and the way that they were

used practically and to emphasize the scientific

nature of our historical heritage through them.

5.1 Early Stages of Scientific Ideas

By identifying what Sri Lankans did from ancient
time, we can realize the nature of the vision, which
was the background of those work. When some
of such activities are examined carefully, it is clear
that some of such things had been done thinking
scientifically. When working with nature, being
knowledgeable on its fundamentals, is necessary.
The success of the activities from making a
tomb to constructing huge irrigation systems
depends on understanding fundamentals of the
nature correctly, which is needed to keep them
for a longtime. In this chapter we will discuss
the scientific ideas that existed in Sri Lanka and
the nature of the technical approaches which
were followed to put those scientific ideas into
practice.

We have seen that when something is thrown

up, it falls down. It is a characteristic of the

nature. There is a fundamental which affects

that characteristic. Scientists introduce it as

gravitation. Scientists have proved through

experiments that everything is attracted in a

certain space limit on earth. If someone wants

to find its truth, he or she can experiment and

substantiate it. That is the nature of science.

The normal order, which is followed in doing

something scientifically, is understanding

the fundamentals in nature correctly and

substantiating them by examining. After

examining, what needs to work practically, using

the fundamentals of the nature, is technology.

It is a fundamental in physics that the different

types of energies in nature cannot be destroyed,

but they can be transformed to other energies.

Accordingly, transforming electric power into

kinetic power and making an electric fan is a

technical substitute.

Some of the instances, which reflect how the

ancient Sri Lankans had acted to apply the

fundamentals of nature after having understood

them, belonged to the prehistoric era. 28000

years ago symmetrical stone tools were made

up of alabaster named ‘ground-glass’. Those

symmetrical stone tools reflect the then prevailed

organized technology to shape up those hard

stone. This technology with which tools are

made after removing stone splinters by using

much power is called pressure slating.

The early stages of applied science were reflected

in the prehistoric age and it became matured in

the proto-historic age that came next. Given be-

low are some instances which describe the na-

ture of the scientific ideas that prevailed during

that age.