New evidence suggests that there was an Iron Age civilization in Tamil Nadu during the Indus Valley Bronze Age civilization
Senior Academic and Research Advisor, Tamil Nadu State Archeology Department, presented a paper on recent archaeological investigations and their impact on Tamil culture at the 11th World Tamil Research Conference, held from 7 to 9 July. The World Tamil Research Conference is held in Chennai after 55 years.
New evidence suggests that an Iron Age civilization existed in Tamil Nadu parallel to the Indus Valley Civilization. Recent dating has shown that the objects excavated from Sivakalai in Tuticorin district date back to 2,500 BC to 3,000 BC.
The Indus Valley Civilization lasted from 3,300 BCE to 1,300 BCE. Previous dating of samples from Mayiladumparai in Krishnagiri district has shown that they date back to 2,172 BC.
Several laboratories, including the Birbal Sahni Institute of Paleo Sciences, Lucknow, and the Physical Research Laboratory, Ahmedabad, have reported similar dates of between 2,500 BCE and 3,000 BCE, pointing to a contemporary Indus Valley civilization in Tamil Nadu.
Professor Rajan said, "When people were using copper objects during the Indus Valley Civilization, people here started using iron objects. Now the challenge is to find iron furnaces".
Researchers are comparing the graffiti signs found during archaeological excavations with the Indus script. Researchers have completed the documentation of 8,000 graffiti markings out of 10,000 available in the state.
Iron age civilization
1300 BCE at Ahar in Rajasthan, 1530 BCE at Bukkasagar in Karnataka, 1700–1800 BCE at Raipura in the mid-Gangetic valley, Malhar near Varanasi, and 1900–2000 BCE at Brahmagiri in northern Karnataka. A series of dating results on finds from different parts of India have found evidence of iron-ore technology before 1800 BCE.
