Shipwrecks with stories
Author(s): Rasika Muthucumarana; Rukshan Priyandana
Year: 2013
Summary
The presence of European sailing ships with masts and gun ports drawn on the walls of the 18th century Buddhist temples is a fascinating phenomenon, as these frescos show the stories of Lord Buddha and ancient Sri Lanka. They display how the traditions of the people living on the Sri Lankan coast were greatly influenced by Europeans. The presence of sailing ships anchored near the ports may have become a routine event which impacted how locals perceived local shipping traditions. Shipwreck incidents also became unforgettable events to remember and to pass down in oral histories to the next generations.
This paper deals with three shipwreck sites, the Hercules (1661), the Earl of Shaftsbury (1893) and the SS Conch (1903). Each has a different story to tell us and each played an important role in the development of underwater archaeological research in Sri Lanka.
Cite this Record
Shipwrecks with stories. Rasika Muthucumarana, Rukshan Priyandana. Presented at Society for Historical Archaeology, Leicester, England, U.K. 2013 ( tDAR id: 428493)
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Keywords
General
sailing ships
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Shipwrecks
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traditional ships
Temporal Keywords
17th to 19th century
Spatial Coverage
min long: 79.698; min lat: 5.918 ; max long: 81.891; max lat: 9.825 ;
Individual & Institutional Roles
Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology
Record Identifiers
PaperId(s): 469