Excavations, new tech help trace Tamil Nadu’s Iron Age origins

CHENNAI: In a groundbreaking revelation, archaeologists from the Tamil Nadu State Department of Archaeology (TNSDA) have confirmed that iron technology was indeed introduced to present-day Tamil Nadu approximately 5,300 years ago.

According to R Sivanantham, Joint Director of TNSDA, the recent excavations at various sites across the State, including Adichanallur, Sivagalai, and Mayiladumparai, have yielded a treasure trove of artefacts, including iron implements, ceramics, and graffiti-bearing sherds.

The team employed advanced dating techniques, including Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (AMS) and Optically Stimulated Luminescence (OSL), to determine the age of the artefacts.

The results revealed a consistent pattern of dates, ranging from 3,345 BCE to 2,172 BCE, with a significant cluster of dates around 2.500 BCE.

One of the most significant discoveries was made at the Adichanallur site, where archaeologists unearthed a charcoal sample in association with an iron object at a depth of 220 cm from layer 4. The sample yielded a conventional date of 2,060 BCE (4010 ± 30 BP) and a calibrated date of 2,517-2,513 BCE.

"When cultural zones located north of Vindhyas experienced the Copper Age, the region south of Vindhyas might have entered the Iron Age due to the limited availability of commercially exploitable copper ore. Thus, the Copper Age of North India and the Iron Age of South India are probably contemporary," said the Tamil Nadu State Department of Archaeology (TNSDA).

"Based on the availability of AMS14C and OSL dates of 2427 BCE, 2450 BCE, 2459 BCE, 2522 BCE, 2953 BCE, 3259 BCE and 3345 BCE were obtained for the samples recovered from the recent excavations. Therefore, we may securely place the introduction of iron in India, particularly in Tamil Nadu, in the early part of the 4th millennium BCE. The metallurgical analysis of iron objects from the excavated sites and future excavations in iron ore-bearing zones may further consolidate or strengthen these findings. Let us hope and wait for future evidence," Sivanantham said.

Amarnath Ramakrishna, Director of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), hailed the discovery as a major breakthrough. "excavations and recent chronologies have proven that iron was introduced in this part of the world 5,300 years ago," he told DT Next.

He also highlighted the importance of the burial sites in Tamil Nadu, including Sivagalai, where samples were taken. "Burial sites are also habitation compounds. If we date the samples found in habitation sites, the antiquity may be even older," Amarnath Ramakrishna said.

Further, the Director of ASI emphasised that the ongoing excavations in Tamil Nadu are expected to provide valuable insights into the region's past.

"The excavations are to be carried out in the coming days, and their results may provide solid evidence of how the agricultural revolution and urbanisation took place in India, especially in Tamil Nadu," added Amarnath Ramakrishna.