No. 27. — 1884.] tissamahAkama archaeology. 



59 



the nearest approach which can be made to the ages of 

 the money will be to consider the oldest oblong coin to date 

 from at any rate not later than the early part of the second 

 century B.C. Possibly it dates from the time of Mahaoaga 

 himself. The other oblong coins, Nos. 2 and 4, are probably 

 of but slightly later date than No. 1 ; and they cannot be 

 assumed to be later than the end of the second century B.C.* 

 The last oblong coin, No. 3, may perhaps belong to the early 

 part of the first century A.D., or otherwise to the latter 

 part of the preceding century. Its age cannot be assumed 

 to be less than this, if a Greek coin, No. 6, found above it, 

 was deposited during the first century after Christ. 



With regard to the large circular coin, No. 5, it must 

 (until more is known of these ancient coins) be presumed to 

 be Simhalese. The presence on it of the Bo-branch and the 

 elephant might not alone justify this belief; but the addition 

 of the symbol found on the other four ancient coins, on the 

 Magama pottery, and on the Gal-lena rocks, affords what 

 seems to me to be conclusive proof of its accuracy. This coin 

 was met with by my men in cutting a channel at Ellagala, at 

 a point three miles in a direct line from the site of the other 

 remains, so that its relative position affords no clue to its 

 age. The representation of the Bo-branch indicates a time 

 when Buddhism had not begun to languish in Ceylon ; and 

 while the presence of the seal appears to show that the coin 

 is not very far removed in age from the oldest money yet 

 found, the marked difference in shape, design, and execu- 

 tion between the oblong and round coins must be taken to 

 prove the lapse of a considerable period between the two 

 styles. In this case, the date of this circular coin may 

 perhaps be the second or third century A.D., but this can 

 only be a matter of conjecture. It is quite possible that this 

 and the latest oblong coin are nearly contemporaneous. 



It is interesting to note that the weight of the heaviest 

 of the older coins is very nearly equal to one-fourth of the 

 weight of this one, the former being 52 J grains, while a 

 quarter of the weight of the latter is 55 grains. It can 

 hardly be supposed that this agreement is accidental, 



* In this case the coin No. 2 may possibly belong to Dutthagamini, 

 He is termed simply Abhaya, at Mali., p. 97 ; Dip. 18, 53. 



