Age of prehistoric man to be determined in France

The Archaeology Department will send specimens of the human skeleton found at the Fa Hien cave excavation site in Bulathsinhala to a renowned radiocarbon dating laboratory in France to determine the actual time period, said Director General Department of Archaeology, Senarath Dissanayake.

"Radiocarbon dating will give us the the actual time period.

With the other archaeological findings from the place where the skeleton was found, we can assume that this would date almost 37,000 years," Dissanayake said.

According to Dissanayake, the site will be preserved in the same location of the excavation site. "A large rock lies beneath the soil layer with artefacts.

We have the technology to remove the entire site without damaging it however, it will be best if we preserve it as it is," he said.

This is the first complete human skeleton found in Sri Lanka from the world renowned archaeological site, the Fa Hien cave in Bulathsinhala of the Kalutara district.

More evidence is currently being unearthed about man's eating habits, rituals and equipment made out of stone.