A 42-milligram blue sapphire and many ancient artifacts have been recovered in excavations near ancient Jethawana Stupa.
A waterway build before the construction of the dagoba, a workshop and raw material were also explored in the excavations carried out near the almsgiving hall in Jethawanarama temple, Archeological Department sources say.
Beads of various shapes, locally made glass and clay beads, raw materials for production of beads, eight Roman coins, animal bones, graphite, transparent polished quartz, raw iron, a furnace copper was melted and parts of furnaces are also among archeological findings.
The excavations were commenced in February this year and the blue sapphire was recovered on May 17.
Archeologists guess the ruins belong to first and second centuries AD. They are to be subjected to carbon testing, said the Chief Research Officer of the Jethawana Project Thusitha Mendis.
The excavations are carried out under the guidance and supervision of Dr. Piyathissa Senanayaka, the Director of Archeology of Jethawana Project. "A series of research excavations were carried out in the area under the Jethawana Project that commenced in 1981. Our aim was to find more historical facts about the Pre-Jethawana period. We commenced excavations in the east of the Chethiya this year. We found the archaeological remains of a workshop and a water supply system of a period prior the reign of King Mahasen who built the Jethawana Cheithya. The blue sapphire was among the artifacts discovered in the site of the workshop. Judging from the structure of the bricks and other building material used by the builders of the workshop we have decided that it dates to the 1st century AD. However, these artifacts are to be subjected to carbon dating," he said.
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