[MZZ56-P04] An Archaeological Investigation inti the Use of Landscape for the Irrigation of Ancient Sri Lanka
キーワード：Cultural landscape, Irrigation, dry zone, Sri Lanka, Traditional Knowledge
Water is one of the main factors that make human life more organized. Water was an essential part of all forms of life based on agriculture in civilization. As a result, the irrigation industry begins during the human civilization. It is clear that the ancestors' ability to identify suitable land for agriculture was based on experience gained from the surrounding environment over time. The main problem was the irrigation of the farm. The reason for this is that rain-free areas cover most areas of the world where soil deposits are suitable for agriculture. The ancestors accepted the challenge and built irrigation systems based on the natural location of the land. There is evidence that they started primary irrigation in the early stages of development, the proto- historical period, and gradually developed them. The nature of the land they have used for this purpose. There is living and archaeological evidence for this in the Dry Zone of Sri Lanka. This research paper focuses on the way land was used for ancient irrigation in Sri Lanka. The main objective of the research is to investigate how the ancestors used the landscape in the construction of irrigation in Sri Lanka. This research was carried out based on the data collected from field exploration and available archaeological evidence. In the Mesolithic period, where water meets in the lowlands of the plains used by their water use could be converted into tanks. By examining the contours of the Dry Zone plain, and by surveying the land, it is evident that these natural maps are made into tanks utilizing minimally fried short dams. The role of the human factor has been significant over a long period, and its correlation with spatial, cultural patterns has been remarkable. Particularly in the prehistoric period, people have assumed that agriculture was the primary means of storing water in the catchment. It is assumed that such small tanks could have been created in the area because of the location of the macro-land and the agriculture-friendly soil zone. In the study of the use of the landscape for irrigation, the evidence obtained from small rural tanks in the dry zone, which are recognized as the oldest irrigation works in the country, is vital. These tanks, which have already evolved into the cascade system, can also be referred to as the tanks. This is because the interconnected network of tanks has been created. The nature of the landscape is directly affected by this. The effective use of land for irrigation is evident from the fact that many small tanks have developed into small tanks, medium sized tanks and large tanks with the intervention of the state in the later stages. According to the available information, it is clear that the dry zone rural settlements were established using these small tanks. There is much archaeological evidence in the dry zone of Sri Lanka. It is clear from the above information that irrigation works have been established based on the people's understanding of the natural landscape. Many of the irrigation works that were built by the ancestors are now in operation because they are located in the right places. Accordingly, the Dry Zone landscape which is responsible for irrigation can be considered as our heritage.