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Cooking vessel (Broken) — Maritime Archaeology Museum

Cooking vessel (Broken)

Maritime Archaeology Museum Maritime History Historical
Period
Historical
Date
2025-08-06
Materials
Clay
Dimensions
L-19cm, W-5cm,
Site
Godawaya Shipwreck
Location
Gallery 01
Inventory
SL/S/GDV/2019/024

Full Description

On November 30, 2019, this Cooking vessel (Broken) was discovered at the Godavaya archaeological site, specifically from grid square S2 W8. The sherd measures approximately 19 cm in length and 5 cm in width, with a wall thickness of about 1.1 cm.
Historical Context The ship, dated to the 2nd century BCE, contained pottery shards that are considered to belong to the 2nd–3rd centuries BCE. This has also been confirmed through analyses conducted on the pottery shards. The pottery found at the Godavaya site shows similarities to those discovered in the excavations at Tissamaharama and Anuradhapura. So far, evidence belonging to 11 ancient pottery types has been identified across the country. From the Godavaya site, pottery remnants corresponding to seven of these types have been uncovered. Accordingly, it is clear that these pottery vessels were used not only for domestic consumption but also in maritime navigation activities.