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Source: TH
Context:
The Tamil Nadu State Department of Archaeology (TNSDA) has unearthed evidence of an Iron Age culture during the first phase of excavations at Thirumalapuram in Tenkasi district. This discovery marks a significant addition to Tamil Nadu’s early cultural history, extending the known boundaries of Iron Age settlements closer to the Western Ghats.
Key Highlights:
Location and Dating:
- The site is located about 10 km northwest of Thirumalapuram village, between two seasonal streams originating from the Western Ghats near the Kulasegarapereri tank.
- Tentative estimates suggest the site dates back to the early to mid-third millennium BCE, contemporaneous with sites such as Adichanallur and Sivagalai.
Excavation Details:
- Conducted by TNSDA archaeologists during the first season beginning last year.
- A total of 37 trenches were excavated across a 35-acre burial site.
- Unearthed artefacts include:
- A rectangular stone slab chamber with urn burials, a first-of-its-kind discovery in Tamil Nadu.
- The chamber was made of 35 stone slabs and filled with cobblestones up to a depth of 1.5 metres.
Artefacts and Findings:
- Ceramics: A large collection of grave pottery was discovered, including:
- White-painted black-and-red ware
- Red ware, red-slipped ware, black-polished ware, and coarse red ware
- The white-painted designs on black-and-red ware, black ware, and black-slipped ware are similar to patterns earlier found at T. Kallupatti, Adichanallur, Sivagalai, Thulukkarpatti, and Korkai.
- Symbols on urns were among the most notable findings, hinting at possible linguistic or cultural symbolism in the Iron Age communities of the region.
