News Highlights:
The excavations in Keezhadi from 2015 prove that an urban civilisation existed in Tamil Nadu in the Sangam age on the banks of the Vaigai river.
Key Takeaway:
- Keeladi is a tiny hamlet in the Sivaganga district in south Tamil Nadu.
- It is about 12 km southeast of the temple city of Madurai and is located along the Vaigai river.
Keezhadi excavations
- About
- Keezhadi (also as Keeladi) excavation site is a Sangam-age settlement being excavated by the Archaeological Survey of India and the Tamil Nadu State Department of Archaeology.
- This site is 12 km southeast of Madurai in Tamil Nadu, near Keezhadi in the Sivagangai district.
- It comes under the Thiruppuvanam Taluk of the Sivagangai district.
- This large-scale excavation was carried out in Tamil Nadu after the Adichanallur archaeological site.
- The settlement lies on the bank of the Vaigai River, reflecting the ancient culture of the Tamil people.
- Dating of the site:
- Initially, this site was estimated from the period between the 5th century BCE and the 3rd century CE.
- Two samples were sent for carbon dating from this excavation site for confirmation. The results confirmed that the samples were from about 2,200 years ago (3rd century BCE).
- Radiocarbon dating of samples obtained from the fourth excavation phase revealed that one of the artefacts was from the 6th century BCE.
- In 2017, the ASI sent two samples from Keezhadi to Beta Analytic, a Miami-based radiocarbon dating laboratory.
- The laboratory dated the samples to be about 2,300 – 2600 years old (from the 3rd century BCE).
- In 2018, six carbon samples collected from the fourth phase of excavation were sent to Beta Analytic in the United States for Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (AMS) dating. It was found that one sample collected at a depth of 353 cm goes back to 580 BCE.
Keeladi linked to Sangam age:
- About Sangam age:
- The Sangam age is a period of history in ancient Tamil Nadu which was believed to be from the third century BCE to the third century CE.
- The name is derived from the renowned Sangam poets of Madurai from that time.
- Excavation link to Sangam period:
- Tamil Nadu State Archaeology Department (TNSDA) report dated the unearthed artefacts from Keeladi to a period between the sixth century BCE and the first century BCE.
- Samples collected at a depth of 353 cm, sent for carbon dating in the U.S., dated back to 580 BCE.
- A recent ASI report by K. Amarnath Ramakrishna, the Superintendent Archaeologist who discovered Keeladi in 2015, has pushed the Sangam age to 800 BCE based on these archaeological findings.
- Keeladi has also added to the credibility of Sangam Literature.
- Missing links:
- Keeladi could also provide crucial evidence for understanding the missing links of the Iron Age (12th century BCE to sixth century BCE) to the Early Historic Period (sixth century BCE to fourth century BCE) and subsequent cultural developments.
Keeladi links to Indus Valley:
- Resemblance to Indus Valley signs:
- Some of the symbols found in pot sherds of Keeladi bear a close resemblance to Indus Valley signs.
- A lot of digging and study has to be done to establish the links between these two civilisations.
- Some Keeladi artefacts have inscribed graffiti marks, similar to graffiti marks which some believe in having evolved from the Indus script.
- The artefacts found at the Keezhadi excavation site may point to a link between the scripts of the Indus Valley civilisation and Tamil-Brahmi
- Keeladi has all the characteristics of an urban civilisation, with brick structures, luxury items and proof of internal and external trade.
- It comes across as a dynamic and advanced civilisation and has given evidence of urban life and settlements in Tamil Nadu during the Early Historic Period.
Findings from Keeladi:
- Artefacts:
- In the eight rounds of excavations, including the first three by the ASI, over 18,000 artefacts have been unearthed from the siteÂ
- The unearthing of heaps of pottery suggests the existence of a pottery-making industry, mostly made of locally available raw materials.Â
- Gold ornaments, copper articles, semi-precious stones, shell bangles, ivory bangles and ivory combs reflect the artistic, culturally rich and prosperous lifestyle of the Keeladi people.
- Tamil-Brahmi script:
- Over 120 potsherds containing Tamil Brahmi inscriptions have been found.
- Keeladi, along with other Tamil Nadu sites with over a thousand inscribed potsherds, clearly suggest the prolonged survival of the script.
- Canals and sewage system:
- Water supply and wastewater are considered important landmarks of civil development
- At the bottom of the settlement, there are buildings with a sewage canal facility made of ceramic tubes.
- Ring wells and brick walls:
- Ancient earthenware and ring wells have been found
- This proves the ancient tradition of Tamils, indicating that they used these wells in river shores and ponds for water.
- Brick buildings were rare in ancient times, but many brick buildings have been found.
Pic Courtesy: Freepik
Content Source: The Hindu