short biographies of well-known archaeologists

Prof. Sudharshan Seneviratne

Prof. Sudharshan Seneviratne had educated from Ananda College Colombo and entered to the Delhi University and Jawaharlal Nehru University (from 1970 to 1980) for his higher education. In 1980 he joined to the Department of Archaeology, University of Peradeniya.

In his long career Prof. Seneviratne held the Director’s position in the UNESCO Sri Lanka Cultural Triangle Projects (Kandy and Jetavana) in 1980s’ and from 2007 to 2010, the position of Director-General of the Central Cultural Fund (CCF). Also, as Senior Advisor (Culture) to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (from 2003 to 2006) he made a definitive contribution towards the promotion of academic and cultural connectivity.

He has delivered guest lectures and orations in several countries including his address at the United Nations in 2011. He was a Distinguished Professor for several Universities and prestigious Liberal Arts Colleges in the USA and in India. He has participated in many academic policy-making bodies in the SAARC region and in the USA. His participation as a member of the Harvard University – Agha Khan Foundation establishing a liberal arts College in Pakistan is noteworthy. He is also Consultant Archaeologist to UNESCO, Government of South Korea, Republic of The Maldives and the American Institute of Archaeology.

He was honoured by Distinguished International Awards such as the award for Best Practice in Conservation& Heritage Management for 2013 at Seattle, awarded by the American Institute of Archaeology, the USA for his Outstanding Contributions to Archaeology & History. 

He is Fellow and Life Member of the National Academy of Science; Sri Lanka Council of Archaeologists; Sri Lanka Association for the Advancement of Science; Indian Society for Pre Historic & Quaternary Studies; International Commission of Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) and American Institute of Archaeology. He has published over 75 publications in English, Sinhala and translated into Tamil and are found in national, international learned journals and books.

As a social-activist academic and archaeologist, Seneviratne dedicates his professional and personal efforts towards heritage for sustainability and understanding among polarised communities with necessary space for the moderate voice of reconciliation and peace.

Dr Siran Upendra Deraniyagala

S.U. Deraniyagala received his degree in Architecture and Sanskrit University of Cambridge and did postgraduate studies in archaeology at the Institute of Archaeology, London (now University College London), in which he passed with distinction and was awarded the Gordon Childe Prize (as one of two best all-round students of the year from among all fields of archaeology).

He joined the Archaeological Department of the Government of Sri Lanka in 1968 as Assistant Commissioner in charge of scientific excavations throughout the country.

Deraniyagala's functioning in the latter capacity was primarily research-orientated with emphasis on Sri Lanka's prehistoric period.  He received his PhD (Harvard) in 1988. This dissertation “Prehistory of Sri Lanka” sets out a synthesis of the vast array of information that Deraniyagala had researched. The resultant publication has been hailed by scholars as a landmark in the archaeology of South Asia as a whole, which has incidentally transformed their concept of Sri Lankan prehistory.

Deraniyagala's research continued on the lines set out above as Consultant for research excavations and as Director-General (1992-2001) of the Archaeological Department. As Director-General of the Archaeological Department placed him at the helm of Sri Lanka's apex institution for the management of its archaeological heritage. As such he headed and coordinated several programmes, such as formulation of national archaeological policy; (b) preparation of a list of sites, monuments and movable antiquities; etc.

In recognition of services rendered to the nation and especially to the discipline, the Sabaragamuwa University awarded its D.Sc. in 1999 and the University of Peradeniya its D.Litt. in 2001. The apex of his professional career was reached when the Government (in 2005) designated him chairman of a committee appointed to formulate a National Archaeological Policy. He was also awarded the National Honour of Deshabandhu by the President of Sri Lanka.