This archaeological research aimed to investigate the authentic metalworking activities of the Yodhawewa area and examine contemporary socio-economic movements based on discovered material culture. The entire research work was carried out in 2018 based on a surface survey and two excavations in an area of about 201600m 2 on the outskirts of Yodhawewa reservoir. The C14 chronology confirms the 1 st -8 th centuries activities, and in this research obtained a considerable artefacts collection related to metal extraction, copper metalwork, and crucible steel production. This research also discovered that half of a lower spherical (crucible-typed) metal furnace was used to produce crucible steel for the first time in Sri Lanka. Artefacts such as coins, BRW, RW, and some porcelain prove that the site maintained cultural relations with India and China in the c. 1 st century and 8 th century AD. Other artefacts of this site include ceramics, beads, faunal remains, minerals, and rocks that have been used for human needs for a considerable period. This article discusses at length the archaeological evidence that the Yodhawewa region is a metalworking site that has been active since the early historical period of Sri Lanka and a place that reflects national and international cultural relations.
The Yodhawewa archaeometallurgical site was the latest discovery in Sri Lanka in 2018. This study aimed to trace the archaeological and geochemical relationship by analyzing the soil and slags of the site dating back to the c. 1st to 8th centuries AD. The analysis was mainly based on the X-ray uorescence (XRF) method. The soil chemistry resulted in some clues to special metal processing zones in the excavation-1 area. The cultural layers of that area (pro les 1 and 2) showed relatively high copper composition (max. 470ppm), and crucible fragments containing copper particles were also detected in the same layers. The vertical distribution of soil elements and their correlations with TiO 2 suggested that long-term metal activity may have affected changes in environmental soil chemistry. Relatively high phosphorus was indicated in the soil-related furnace wall, suggesting the arti cial addition of organic matter to the clay body during the furnace wall construction to withstand the high temperatures. High iron slag (HIS) varies from 12.96 to 49.63 wt% of Fe 2 O 3 and shows high MnO, P 2 O 5 , and V. Lightweight amorphous/glassy slags (LIS) associated with secondary re ning have low iron content and a high CaO and Sr composition.
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