40 



JOURNAL, R.A.S. (CEYLON). [Vol. VIII. 



identification. It is not known that any trowels were used 

 in Ceylon (B.C.), and I think that this may have been a 

 piece of iron which was attached to some woodwork. 



5. Two pieces of a long bar of round iron, about three- 

 quarters of an inch thick, may have formed part of a chisel 

 used for cutting stone. The bar appears to have been 

 pointed at one end, and if so, there seems to be no other 

 use to which it could be put. 



6. A long chisel, probably belongs to this class, in which 

 case it must have been used for large carvings. It was 1*1 

 inch broad, and 1 inch thick, rectangular in section and 

 straight, with a length of perhaps 10 inches or a foot. The 

 end is broken ofT. Possibly, however, this tool may have 

 been used by the smiths along with a smaller similar 

 chisel. 



More of these tools than of any implements have been 

 Carpenters' found. Although all are broken across, it can 

 Tools. be geen that they were of great length (except 



in the case of the smallest ones), and that they had not 

 wooden handles, I have seen very similar tools used by 

 village carpenters in the North-Central Province, but I 

 imagine that they are now becoming uncommon in this 

 country. Considering the great value which must have 

 been attached to such articles of steel or iron in the early 

 years of Simhalese history, it may be presumed that many 

 houses were in course of erection at the times when these 

 tools were being lost in such quantity compared with the 

 area explored. They cannot but have belonged to many 

 different men. The chisels are nearly all such strong 

 heavy tools that they could hardly be used for anything 

 but working large pieces of timber, and doubtless their 

 owners were chiefly employed in roofing- work. Most of 

 these certainly belong to the oldest series of remains, but 

 a few are of considerably later date. There is, however, no 

 difference in their general shape, and those found at the 

 greatest height are exact counterparts of those met with 

 immediately over the gravel. All these tools were obtained 

 in the high-level cutting at the sluice near the houses, or, 

 in some instances, in them. 



7. The broken iron heads of two axes. One of them is 

 now almost inches long, and 3 inches broad at its 



