Clay Cup-(Broken)
- Period
- Historical
- Date
- 2025-08-04
- Materials
- Clay
- Site
- Godawaya Shipwreck
- Location
- Galle > Maritime Archaeology Museum > Gallery 01 > Cabinet 09
- Inventory
- GDV/2013/23
Full Description
This vessel sherd was discovered in 2013 at the Godavaya archaeological site. It is a small vessel with a very thin body and a spherical bottom.As a small-sized vessel, its body has been crafted very finely, and the base shows a globular form. The sherd measures approximately 24 cm in length and 5 cm in width, weighing 169.7 grams. Its wall thickness is approximately 4.72 mm.
Historical Context
The ship, dated to the 2nd century BCE, contained pottery shards that are considered to belong to the 2nd–3rd centuries BCE. This has also been confirmed through analyses conducted on the pottery shards. The pottery found at the Godavaya site shows similarities to those discovered in the excavations at Tissamaharama and Anuradhapura. So far, evidence belonging to 11 ancient pottery types has been identified across the country. From the Godavaya site, pottery remnants corresponding to seven of these types have been uncovered. Accordingly, it is clear that these pottery vessels were used not only for domestic consumption but also in maritime navigation activities.
