No. 27.— 1884.] tissamaharama archeology. 61 



be seen only on the ground-work or unelevated portion of 

 the design. It was hoped that some example of painting 

 on pottery might come to light (Mah., p. 99) ; but, with the 

 exception of the common black varnish, all search proved 

 unsuccessful. 



Iron. — From the large number of nodules of kidney iron 

 met with throughout the sluice excavations, it is to be 

 presumed that the iron used for making the axes and other 

 tools was smelted on the spot, probably by the smiths them- 

 selves. The iron is so nearly pure that this would present 

 no difficulty, and the nodules could be picked out of the 

 underlying decomposed gneiss or gravel, which is extremely 

 ferruginous. 



Copper.— Working in copper had arrived at considerable 

 perfection. This is shown by the oblong coins, and also by 

 the small bells and the copper drinking cup already de- 

 scribed. It is clear that coining must have been practised 

 for a long period before it could reach such an advanced 

 stage. The earliest coins found are removed by centuries 

 from the rude forms of money which must primarily have 

 been adopted,* and it seems to be likely that some kind of 

 royal mint had long been established in Ceylon. It cannot 

 be supposed that any but skilled workmen could produce 

 such money, or that any one who wished to do so would be 

 permitted to stamp the royal seal on it, even if he were able 

 to engrave the stamps or dies for the two faces of the coin. 



Gems, Corals, Glass, tfc. — The tourmaline and carnelian 

 beads met with in our excavations, and the amethysts found 

 both there and in the copper-vessel, prove that gemming 

 was regularly practised, and that the art of cutting, drilling, 

 and polishing such stones in the form of beads was far from 

 its infancy, and was as well understood as at present, t 

 (Mak. p. 51.) The presence of these beads among the 

 remains shows that there is nothing improbable in the 



* The execution of these coins is far in advance of the early coins 

 found by General Cunningham at Eran. (Report, Arch. Survey of 

 India, Vol. X., p. 77.) 



f The beautiful form of the carnelian bead can have been obtained 

 only by means of a lathe. It is as perfect a sphere as could be 

 turned out of a modern workshop, and probably it was polished with 

 pumice. 



