Abstract:
During the last fifty years, many wrecks of Dutch and
European steam powered ships, circa 17th century CE
have been discovered around Sri Lanka. Stone anchors used by Chinese and Arab traders of 13th–14th
century CE are suggestive of wrecks of different origins. The era beyond that is shrouded in mystery.
Recent investigations by the Maritime Archaeology
Unit of Sri Lanka have shed light on some of these
ancient ghosts. A wooden wreck located in 2008 in
southern Sri Lanka was dated to the 2nd century BCE.
Now known as the Godawaya wreck and it is still
under excavation as of this now. Another, known as
SS Indus, wrecked in 1885 containing treasures of
precious antiquities for the British Museum, was
found on the north coast
