It was found 109 cm beneath the surface in KeezhadiĪ red slipware globular pot was found at a depth of 139 cm along with semi-precious stone beads and micro glass beads. Its unbent length is 4.5 cm, maximum diameter is 1.99 cm, and minimum diameter is 1.73 cm. This thin gold wire is believed to have been used for ear piercing ceremonies. A similar coin was traced at a depth of 162 cm It has designs of the sun, moon, a bull, taurine, animal, and a geometric design on one side, and semi-circles and an L-shaped mark on the other. This punch-marked coin weighs 2.2 g and was found at a depth of 147 cm. It has elongated ear ornaments, forehead ornaments, and a hair-bun on the left side, which are part of her headgear. This terracotta structure is the head of a female figurine, with eyes, nose and parted lips. Significant artefacts, including ornaments and a stone axe, were found in the 7th phase of excavation at Keezhadi by the TN Archaeology Department. It is being constructed at a cost of Rs 12.21 crore on a 30,000 sq ft plot The museum will display artefacts unearthed from the Keezhadi archaeological site. Keezhadi Museum to come up soon over 30,000 sq ftįormer chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami laid the foundation stone for an on-site museum in Konthagai, near Keezhadi, in 2020. “Those publications would be the basis for researchers and students to study new aspects in detail,” he concludes. He emphasises that the reports of the previous phases of excavation should be published as soon as possible. “The creators must have undergone years of hard work to hone their creative skills before they manufactured the products,” he points out. Venkatesan is excited to see the art tradition from that era. Remains of animals - bull, peacock, and oxen - also prove people were associated with animals back then, Sivanantham says. Traces of a weaving industry were also found as different spinning objects were unearthed. “They made objects with an artistic sense in the industry and were experts in water management. More than 70 inscribed pots were found, proving that a lot of people were literate.”Īs they were literate, they also had trade connections within the country and abroad. Noting that the literacy of that era was high, Sivanantham explains, “The pots had inscriptions, and since their depth varies over the pot, it implies that the inscriptions were made before the pots were glazed. “The literature found has helped us understand their lifestyle through poems and texts, but the artefacts from the sites would give us more perspective.” Pointing out the necessity to blend the History, Literature and Archeology departments, Venkatesan says this would help amalgamate the findings of the excavation and understand the civilisation in detail. Kumaresan points out that skeletal remains were found not only in Konthagai in Sivaganga, but also in Adichanallur, Sivakalai in Thoothukudi, and Kodumanal in Erode, and are now being stored in freezers at MKU. Samples of sediments in these pots, and grains, bacteria and plants, have been collected. There could be changes due to the age and bacterial influence, but it can lead to something, says Prof G Kumaresan, head of Madurai Kamaraj University’s (MKU) Immunology department. The remaining sediments of food particles in the pots can help in tracing their food culture. People from that era offered food (padayal) in pots along with the burial urns. “For the primary burial, they would bury bodies at the surface level, and for the secondary burial, the bones would be retrieved and kept in an urn, or they would place the body inside the urn before burying it,” Sivanantham explains. In Konthagai, skeletons were found in what could be a burial site spanning 5-10 acres. Generally, the mouth of the ringwell is decorated, but the latest ringwell has decorations around the ring.”
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One has embossed decorations and the other is at the natural soil level. “We have found two ring wells so far in the present phase.
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Each new phase of excavation proves the richness of the sites at Keezhadi and the surrounding villages of Agaram, Manalur and Konthagai, says Dr R Sivanantham, commissioner (full additional charge), Department of Archaeology and director of Keezhadi excavation.