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



A FEW REMARKS ON PREHISTORIC STONES 

 IN CEYLON. 



By John Pole. 



The Drs. Sarasin of Basle, who had visited our Island on 

 several occasions previously, in April last determined stones 

 of the character shown to you this evening to be prehistoric 

 flakes of the Palaeolithic age and of Veddaic origin. These 

 gentlemen found similar flakes in the Vedda caves of Nilgala 

 and elsewhere in Uva. 



This therefore is our starting point. Flakes from all parts 

 of the Island — Puttalam, Hambantota, Matale, Nawalapitiya, 

 Dimbula, Dikoya, and Maskeliya — have been found of a 

 similar nature ; the deduction is that they were made by the 

 prehistoric Veddas, and that they are of Palaeolithic age. 



Iron was introduced, seemingly, when the Dra vidian 

 invasion occurred about 2,600 years ago. These stones may 

 therefore be reckoned at any number of years older, or, to allow 

 for the distribution of iron, so many years less in age. 



They seem to be of common occurrence throughout the 

 . Island, and fairly abundant ; the real wonder being that they 

 were not discovered earlier. 



There may be amongst them many that show no signs of 

 having been used, and, to our perceptions, there lies a great 

 difficulty in believing that they could be made of use by any 

 man ; but they have been found in good society, alongside of 

 many that possess the signs, and they tell us something of 

 this small-handed retiring race. 



Unfortunately their utter crudity and almost shapelessness 

 of design throughout this whole series affords great scope for 

 controversy. The simplicity of the implements can only be 

 appreciated by those who can realize the degraded state of the 

 beings who devised them. 



Even in the case of some of the latest found slate, shell, and 

 flint implements of the Neolithic age, in Cornwall, a prejudice 

 existed in the minds of many as to their nature, chiefly on 



