Editing History of Sri Lanka (section)

===Pre Iron Age (Pre ~1000 BC)===
The pre-history of Sri Lanka goes back 125,000 years and possibly even as far back as 500,000 years.{{sfn|Deraniyagala|1996}} The era spans the [[Palaeolithic]], [[Mesolithic]] and early [[Iron Age]]s. Among the [[Paleolithic]] human settlements discovered in Sri Lanka, [[Fa Hien Cave|Pahiyangala]] (named after the [[Chinese people|Chinese]] traveller [[Bhikkhu|monk]] [[Faxian]]), which dates back to 37,000 BP, [[Batadombalena]] (28,500 BP) and [[Belilena]] (12,000 BP) are the most important.{{sfn|Kennedy|Kenneth|Roertgen|Chiment|1986|pp=165–265}}{{sfn|angelfire.com|2014}} In these caves, archaeologists have found the remains of [[anatomy|anatomically]] modern [[humans]] which they have named [[Balangoda Man]], and other evidence suggesting that they may have engaged in [[agriculture]] and kept domestic dogs for driving game.{{sfn|De Silva|1981|pp=6–7}}{{sfn|Deraniyagala|1992|p=454}}

One of the first written references to the island is found in the Indian [[Epic poetry|epic]] [[Ramayana]], which provides details of a kingdom named ''[[Lanka]]'' that was created by the divine sculptor [[Vishwakarma]] for [[Kubera]], the Lord of Wealth.{{sfn|Blaze|1933|p=4}}{{sfn|Keshavadas|1988}} It is said that Kubera was overthrown by his demon stepbrother [[Ravana]], the powerful emperor who built a mythical [[Early flying machines|flying machine]] named [[Dandu Monara]].{{sfn|Parker|1992|p=7}} The modern city of [[Wariyapola]] is described as Ravana's airport.{{sfn|Edirisinghe|2009}}

Early inhabitants of Sri Lanka were probably ancestors of the [[Vedda people]],{{sfn|Deraniyagala|2014}} an indigenous people numbering approximately 2,500 living in modern-day Sri Lanka. The 19th-century Irish historian [[James Emerson Tennent]] theorized that [[Galle]], a city in southern Sri Lanka, was the ancient seaport of [[Tarshish]] from which [[King Solomon]] is said to have drawn [[ivory]], [[Peafowl|peacocks]], and other valuables.