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JOURNAL, R.A.S. (CEYLON). [VOL. XIX. 



eldlings makes it of importance to leave no doubt as to the 

 identification of the site. 



Having now proved that the building in which the coins 

 were found was in a flourishing condition 1000 a.d., it re- 

 mains to show conclusively that the coins had not lain 

 where they were buried for many years prior to the abandon- 

 ment of the monastery. Fortunately this is settled beyond 

 all doubt by the fact that the coins were found in a passage, 

 on brick pavement, at the foot of steps that must have 

 been used daily. They cannot have possibly lain where 

 they were found for even a day during the occupancy of the 

 monastery. But they may have been — probably were — 

 concealed in the roof in a bag. They were found in a heap 

 all together, showing that they had fallen in a bag, or 

 cloth, or box, or perhaps in the folds of a man's clothes. 

 Even if they were concealed in the roof, that should not long 

 antedate their disappearance from use. And for all we know 

 to the contrary, the vehera may have been undisturbed until 

 a considerably later period than 1000 a.d. 



The evidence so far given is sufficient, in my opinion, to make 

 it almost certain that these coins were in circulation up to, 

 or nearly up to, 1000 a.d. But there is yet another way of 

 gaining evidence on this point, and that is by examining the 

 state of the coins themselves. 



As already stated, the coins were found in a small heap. 

 They are seventy in number, and consist of sixty-eight silver 

 coins, one silvered copper, and one copper coin. This last 

 I take to be the core of a silvered copper coin, and I have 

 therefore left it out in all the calculations. Of the sixty-nine, 

 thirteen are circular, and the rest square or oblong, with 

 sometimes a corner cut off, probably for the correct adjust- 

 ment of the weight to the recognized standard. All of the 

 coins are very much worn, so much indeed that of sixty -nine 

 no less than thirty are worn so smooth as to show no sign 

 whatsoever of the original punch marks. 



But as the punch marks were not all put on at one time, but 

 mark successive stages in the life of the coin, a better criterion 

 to their age than the dimness of the device will be afforded 



