An Artifact Assemblage from the Ancient Shipwreck At
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AN ARTIFACT ASSEMBLAGE FROM THE ANCIENT SHIPWRECK AT GODAVAYA, SRI LANKA A Thesis by LOYALTY NERY SHI WE TRASTER-LEE Submitted to the Office of Graduate and Professional Studies of Texas A&M University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF SCIENCE Chair of Committee, Deborah Carlson Committee Members, Shelley Wachsmann Lilia Campana Head of Department Darryl de Ruiter May 2021 Major Subject: Maritime Archaeology and Conservation Copyright 2021 Loyalty Nerys Shi We Traster-Lee ABSTRACT The Godavaya shipwreck, located off Sri Lanka’s southern coast at a depth of approximately 33 m (110 ft), is presently dated to between the second century B.C.E. and the second century C.E., making it the oldest known shipwreck in the Indian Ocean. The focus of this thesis is a selection of diagnostic artifacts, excavated from this site between 2012 and 2014, consisting of a glass ingot, an unknown glass object, a metal ring, an iron spear, a benchstone, a grindstone, and many ceramic sherds, for a total of 31 artifacts. Its purpose is to attempt to contextualize these items within the Indian Ocean maritime network and Sri Lanka’s mercantile past, through artifact parallels, ancient sources, and previous scholarship. By identifying the likely origin, date, and purpose of each piece, the nature of this cargo and its voyage can be theorized. These in turn will address larger questions of economic activity and technological innovation within the history of the region. Primary sources from ancient cultures provide vital information on Indian Ocean trade connectivity, and the role of maritime networks in structuring Indian Ocean connectivity, and the role of maritime networks in structuring Indian Ocean socioeconomic life. Therefore, several literary works will be analyzed in this thesis, from the Mediterranean, China, India, and Sri Lanka. Finally, the terrestrial excavations at Godavaya and other relevant research will help provide a more holistic view of how this ship may have been connected to ancient seafaring activity. These 31 artifacts provide specific evidence for ancient maritime activity in the Indian Ocean and contribute to the rapidly-expanding scholarship surrounding seafaring in South Asia. ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to recognize several scholars who have helped in the preparation of this thesis. I would like to especially thank the chair of my thesis committee, Dr. Deborah Carlson, for her constant support and encouragement throughout this process. For many reasons, two thousand and twenty has been a difficult year, and I would not have graduated without her mentorship. I would also like to thank Dr. Shelley Wacshmann and Dr. Lilia Campana for their support and guidance during my time at Texas A&M University. In addition to my committee, I would like to thank the archaeological team in Sri Lanka, whose excavation work built the foundation of this thesis. I hope that we can meet one day when the world is a safer and healthier place. This project would not have been possible without the support of the Institute of Nautical Archaeology, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Maritime Archaeology Unit of the Central Cultural Fund, Dr. Senarath Disanayake as the Director of General of Sri Lanka’s Department of Archaeology, Texas A&M University, the University of California-Berkeley, and the Université of Paris-Sorbonne. Thanks also to the librarians at Evans Library, who helped me find all available sources. Finally, thank you to my family and friends - I love you. iii CONTRIBUTORS AND FUNDING SOURCES This work was supervised by a thesis committee consisting of Professor Deborah Carlson and Professor Shelley Wachsmann of the Department of Anthropology and Professor Lilia Campana of the Department of Visualization. The data analyzed for Chapter 3 was provided by Professor Deborah Carlson and collected by two different research teams (2012-13 and 2014) under the joint direction of Osmund Bopearachchi, Deborah Carlson, and Sanjyot Mehendale. All other work conducted for the thesis was completed by the student independently. I would not have had access to this material without the earlier funding that was provided to the archaeological project from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Institute of Nautical Archaeology, and Texas A&M University iv NOMENCLATURE H Height in cm D Diameter T Thickness L Length W Width R Rim Body Body Wall Thickness Max Maximum Min Minimum r Right l Left RW Red Ware BRW Black-Red Ware M Metal G Glass v TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ABSTRACT ......................................................................................................................ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................................................................. iii CONTRIBUTORS AND FUNDING SOURCES .............................................................. iv NOMENCLATURE .......................................................................................................... v TABLE OF CONTENTS .................................................................................................. vi LIST OF FIGURES ........................................................................................................viii CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION: ANCIENT SRI LANKA IN LITERARY SOURCES ..... 1 Indian Ocean in Ancient Mediterranean Sources .............................................................. 3 The Periplus Maris Erythraei .................................................................................... 5 The Geography of Ptolemy ........................................................................................ 8 The Natural History of Pliny the Elder ....................................................................... 9 Strabo’s Geographica .............................................................................................. 10 South and East Asian Textual Narratives ....................................................................... 11 Sri Lanka’s Early History .............................................................................................. 15 CHAPTER II ARCHAEOLOGY OF THE INDIAN OCEAN AND THE GODAVAYA SHIPWRECK .................................................................................................................. 18 The Godavaya Shipwreck/Discovery and Excavation .................................................... 22 Historical Context of the Godavaya Shipwreck .............................................................. 24 Godavaya Terrestrial Site............................................................................................... 25 CHAPTER III CATALOG OF SELECT ARTIFACTS FROM THE GODAVAYA SHIPWRECK .................................................................................................................. 29 Analyzing the Godavaya Ceramics ................................................................................ 30 Catalog of Red Ware...................................................................................................... 33 Catalog of Black-Red Ware ........................................................................................... 52 Analyzing Glass from the Godavaya Wreck ................................................................... 57 Deterioration of Glass .............................................................................................. 61 Glass Artifacts ............................................................................................................... 62 Metal from the Godavaya Site........................................................................................ 64 vi Deterioration of Metal .............................................................................................. 68 Metal Artifacts ............................................................................................................... 69 Analyzing Stone from the Godavaya Site ....................................................................... 71 Deterioration of Stone .............................................................................................. 71 Catalog of Stone Ware ................................................................................................... 73 CHAPTER IV CONCLUSION: BUDDHISM AND MARITIME TRADE ...................... 76 The Godavaya Shipwreck’s Buddhist Connections ........................................................ 78 Supporting Evience for Buddhist Involvement in Maritime Trade .................................. 80 Conclusions ................................................................................................................... 81 REFERENCES ................................................................................................................ 83 vii LIST OF FIGURES Page Figure 1 Map of locations mentioned in this thesis .......................................................... 2 Figure 2 RW 1 / Lot 0012 ............................................................................................... 33 Figure 3 RW 2 / Lot 0023 ............................................................................................... 34 Figure 4 RW 3 / Lot 0024 ............................................................................................... 35 Figure 5 RW 4 / Lot 0031 ............................................................................................... 36 Figure 6 RW 5 / Lot 0034.01 .........................................................................................