It is fair to say that the cultural status of the people of a country can only be properly understood through their graves. The condition of the society at a certain time period can be better understood from the places where the people were buried and the surroundings.
This is the burial ground of a settlement of people used to perform rituals after death. According to the Carbon 14 chronology, this place is belonged to 770-350 BC, which means 2800 years ago.
This historic cemetery was first identified in the year 1970. The site was researched in 1982 under the Cultural Triangle Program.
Even though Ibbankatuwa Cemetery is spread over an area of about 10 hectares, excavations have been conducted on a small area so far. And is believed to have had a population of over 40,000 at that time.
The excavated tomb complex covers covers an area of about 1 km2 (0.39 sq. mi) with 42 clusters of tombs, and each cluster contains about 10 tombs.
Each tomb is enclosed with four stone slabs and covered by another slab on top. According to the way of interment two distinct burial customs, urn (bodies were placed in urns and interred) and cist (ashes of deceased were interred) have been identified.
Another important feature of the cemetery is adjecent to the large terra-cotta urns and cists in which human remains are placed, there were buried small clay pots with the items used by the deceased.
There were 180 such pots and 14,000 potsherds ( broken pieces of pots) have been found in Ibbankatatuwa Cemetery.
And there were perfumes, beads, 190mm copper-plated nails, metal jewelry, animal bones, ivory, arrow heads, and pieces of iron.
Most of the beads found in the cemetery are made of carnelian, agate, and minerals
.
Those minerals are not naturally found in Sri Lanka and it is clear that they were imported from North West or East India.
Ivory, beads, gold-plated beads as well as bead necklaces were found. Even a golden headband, which can be assumed to belong to an aristocrat, has been identified here.
All those happened about 2800 years ago from the present time.