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Finding of a piece of coal from a layer of Sigiriya frescoes has kindled hopes among archaeologists that it could help them find answers to many hitherto unsolved mysteries of the ancient marvel.
Director General of the Department of Archaeology Dr Senarath Dissanayake told The Island yesterday that they were considering the option of sending the piece of coal for carbon dating abroad so that it could produce scientific data to determine the time period the frescoes belonged to.
Dr. Dissanayake said that a team of archaeologists engaged in conservation of Sigiriya wall paintings had found the piece of coal embedded in the plaster layer of one of the 22 frescoes in Deraniyagala cave in the Sigiriya rock.
The piece of coal had been noticed by a team led by Archaeology Research Assistant T. K. Wijesinghe. The department took immediate action to send Dr. Nimal Perera to the site to take samples of the piece of coal.
There are 23 major paintings in the Sigiriya rock and around 50 others in caves near the base of the rock. The paintings found in the Deraniyagala cave are considered prominent. There are around 22 images of women and other drawings in this cave.
The Sigiriya frescoes have so far been assigned to the Fifth Century AD with the help of accounts found in chronicles. The dating of paintings has been done by considering the typological evidences. The latest find could lead to precise scientific dating of them and that could answer many unsolved mysteries, Dr Dissanayake said.
Conservation activities of the Sigiriya rock fortress are carried out by the Department of Archaeology with the assistance of the Central Cultural Fund.
