Скачать или смотреть Godawaya: Ancient Sri Lankan Port and the Oldest Wooden Shipwreck in Asia-Pacific | Hela Nomad

On Sri Lanka’s southern coast lies Godawaya — once called "Goda Pavata Patana" in Sinhala-Prakrit and "Gota Pabbata Pattana" in Pali, meaning "Harbour of the Rocky Hill".

Archaeology reveals that this quiet fishing village was once a bustling port of Ruhuna, supplying the inland capital of Tissamaharama and connecting Sri Lanka to the wider Indian Ocean trade network. On the rock above the harbour, an inscription of King Gajabahu I records that port taxes were dedicated to the monastery — the only known evidence in the Indian Ocean world where trade and religion were so directly bound together.

And beneath the waves lies the Godawaya shipwreck, dated to the 2nd century BCE — the oldest wooden shipwreck in the Asia-Pacific region. Its cargo of grinding stones, pottery, glass and copper ingots, and semi-precious beads tells the story of Sri Lanka’s place at the heart of Indo-Roman and regional trade networks.

Excavations since the 1990s have uncovered Roman and Persian coins, Han dynasty pottery, ancient anchors, and even a customs house — proof that Godawaya was a true Silk Road hub, where East met West.

Today, Godawaya is also a wildlife sanctuary, home to Sri Lanka’s most important nesting beach for leatherback turtles. From prehistory to port, from shipwreck to sanctuary, Godawaya is a place where history and the sea are inseparable.

🌊 Watch as we uncover the story of Godawaya — Ancient Sri Lankan Port and the Oldest Shipwreck in Asia-Pacific.

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📌 Chapters
0:00 Introduction
0:34 Godawaya: Harbour of the Rocky Hill
1:27 The Inscription of King Gajabahu
2:55 Godawaya – Where East Met West
3:34 The Godawaya Shipwreck – Oldest in Asia-Pacific
4:21 Artefacts: Grinding Stones & Hand Stones
5:18 Artefacts: Pottery
5:57 Artefacts: Glass Ingots
6:39 Artefacts: Copper Ingots
7:02 Artefacts: Metal Artefacts
7:30 Artefacts: Beads
9:02 Sri Lanka – An Ancient Global Hub
9:51 The Living Legacy – A Place of Refuge
10:17 Preserving the Godawaya Legacy
10:44 Final Reflections

📌 References
1. Story of Godawaya – Central Cultural Fund
https://nsd.ccf.gov.lk/story-of-godaw...
2. Recently Discovered Shipwrecks in Sri Lankan Waters – ResearchGate
https://www.researchgate.net/publicat...
3. Inscription of Godawaya – Inscriptions of Ceylon Online
https://www.inscriptions.lk/db/VInscr...

#Godawaya #SriLanka #SriLankaHistory #Archaeology #MaritimeArchaeology #IndianOceanTrade #SilkRoad #IndoRomanTrade #OldestShipwreck #Ruhuna #Tissamaharama #Mahawamsa #BrahmiScript #HelaNomad