Clay Tub Burials
Clay Tub burials were made to cremate the
dead people. They were made up in the shape
of a huge basin or a boat using raw clay. After
selecting the appropriate clay type, the walls of
the tomb were built with a minimum height
and a suitable thickness. They had thought of
keeping the balance of the walls of the tomb by
building them perpendicular to the ground. Not
only in the tomb, but also the walls of the house,
found in Udaranchamadama, have been built
perpendicularly.
It’s a fundamental of physics that when any
object is perpendicular to earth in that manner,
the pressure of those objects created on earth is
neutralized. Those who built them had thought
to minimize the harm to the walls by building
them so. You may have seen that even today the
masons use a plummet in building walls.
Though the burials, made up of raw clay, were
not dried and burnt, when the skeleton was
cremated, it had burnt well.
When the skeletons in a tomb, which belonged
to 1350 B.C, were cremated, a clay tube had been
fixed in order to get air inside it. It was in a recent
time about the 18th century that the modern
science propositioned that oxygen is essential
for the process of burning. But the people of this
country had understood that fundamental three
thousand and two hundred fifty years ago. (More
information on this regard has been explained in
the lesson ‘Settlements’.)
The Technology of Building Houses
Though the archaeologists assume that the
prehistoric people who lived in clear areas such
as Bellanbendipelassa had lived in a kind of huts,
no evidence has been discovered regarding that.
It is found that the prehistoric man had shown his
ability in arranging the place, where he wanted
to live, appropriately. This is displayed by parts
of a stone parapet discovered in the excavation of
Kithulgala Belilena. The archaeologists assume
that it must have been used to hold a cover made
of leaves of trees.Clear evidences of building houses in Sri
Lanka could be found in the proto-historic
era. Archaeologists managed to discover ruins
of such a house built in 1129 B.C. That house
is in the village called Udaranchamadama in
Rathnapura district. Its floor has been made
up of reinforcing it by strewing strong pieces of
stone and applying clay on it. Its wall had been
made of clay and wattle. This was revealed by
discovering some burnt pieces of the wall. There
was a wall in the middle of the house to separate
it as the front part and the rear part of the house.
The holes of its wooden doorframe were found
in excavations. For building a house with a roof
on a foundation in this way needs technological
knowledge.Making Earthenware (Clay pots)Our country practised the technology of making
earthenware (pottery) from ancient time. Clear
evidence in this regard can be seen in the proto-
historic era. During those days a simple machine
called ‘Sakaporuwa’ (potter’s wheel) was used to
make clay pots. ‘Sakaporuwa’ (potter’s wheel)
is a round board which can be rotated. If the
earthenware needs to be made with a good
finishing, the clay should be seasoned and
prepared well. It needs a good knowledge of
several steps such as finding the suitable type
of clay, seasoning them, making a stove to burn
them and burning the raw earthenware at an
appropriate temperature. Some clay pots, which
belonged to the proto-historic era, had been
found. Their interior is in black colour and the
exterior is in red colour. The term ‘Kaalaraktha
Varna Meti Bandun’ (black-red colour clay pots)
is used to name them. Before the clay pot is burnt,
it is filled with chaff and kept upside down in the
stove. Afterwards, when it is burnt in the stove,