The seventh phase of Keeladi excavations began on February 13, 2021. It is being done in 10 villages in six districts—Krishnagiri (Mayiladumparai), Sivagangai (Keeladi, Agaram), Thoothukudi (Adichanallur, Sivakalai, Korkai), Thanjavur (Konthagai, Manalur), Ariyalur (Gangai Konda Cholapuram) and, Erode (Kodumanal). The excavations were stopped in May due to Covid-19 lockdown restrictions...
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The seventh phase of Keeladi excavations began on February 13, 2021. It is being done in 10 villages in six districts—Krishnagiri (Mayiladumparai), Sivagangai (Keeladi, Agaram), Thoothukudi (Adichanallur, Sivakalai, Korkai), Thanjavur (Konthagai, Manalur), Ariyalur (Gangai Konda Cholapuram) and, Erode (Kodumanal).
The excavations were stopped in May due to Covid-19 lockdown restrictions and was resumed in the last week of June. It is expected that the excavations will last till September this year.
In the first three phases of excavations carried out by Archeological Survey of India (ASI), a total of 7,818 artefacts were discovered. The next three phases were conducted by the Tamil Nadu State Department of Archeology (TNSDA), which discovered 9,392 artefacts.
In the initial weeks of phase 7 excavations, many artefacts have been found. However, it is in the months of June and July that archaeologists are coming out with new discoveries every other day.
Here are a few artefacts that have captured the interest of several people.
On March 2, a damaged clay lid was found in Keeladi. Said to be 2,600 years old, the lid looks like an earthen pot lid, used to hold water. Its diameter is 2 centimetres and has a knob. It is claimed it could have been used as a toy.
On April 23, an urn was discovered in Konthagai. Inside the urn, a human skeleton and a sword were found. Archaeologists believe the skeleton could be of a warrior.
On April 24, the excavations at Kodumanal revealed the presence of iron smelting units. Along with the iron smelting furnaces, archaeologists have also unearthed storage containers, earthen pots, air blow pipes, etc. Officials claim that the units could have been involved in making iron, terracotta and copper.
On April 29, about 2,800-year-old conch shells were discovered from Korkai. The place was once a capital of the Pandyas and a harbour. The officials said that there are chances that the ancient people took these conch shells from the sea and used them for making some kind of decorative items.
On May 2, an ancient ear ring made up of gold was found in Keeladi. The 4.5-centimetre-long ear ring has a radius of 1.99 centimetres. The ornament could have been used during functions in ancient times.
On May 5, an undamaged earthen pot with a lid was found in Keeladi. While most of the earthen pots discovered till now were damaged, this is the only pot which has not been damaged. However, it is not known what is inside the pot since the lid was closed tightly. If there is anything inside the pot, officials believe it could be 2,600 years old.
A step well was found in Kodumanal on July 3. The 2,300-year-old step well was unearthed at a depth of 2.36 metres and its width is 2.65 metres. The well has 13 steps. Two walls exist on both sides of the well measuring 9.3 metres.
A full-length sword was excavated in Mayiladumparai on July 10. This is the first time a full-length sword has been discovered in Tamil Nadu so far. Its length is 70 centimetres. It is 2,500 years old. It was found in a cist burial site.
On July 13, a three-layered ring well was exposed during the excavation at Keeladi. The overall height of the ring well is 79 centimetres with a thickness of 2.5 centimetres. The height of the first ring is 44 centimetres with a diameter of 77 centimetres. Although terracotta ring wells were found earlier in Keeladi, this is the first time a ring well with intricate design has been discovered. Archaeologists presume that these ring wells could have been used to store water.
At Agaram, a female head figurine with a sideways hair-bun was found on July 15. It has a hairstyle like the ones found in Madurai Meenakshi Amman idol and an ancient Vaishnavite singer Aandal. It is made of terracotta.
On July 19, a megalithic offering pot was unearthed at Myladumparai. The red-ware pot is 25 centimetres high having a radius of 20 centimetres and a rim of 12 centimetres. Officials say that this is an offering pot and was a favourite of the dead. Either it could have been kept inside the burial urn or beside it or over it.
At Korkai, on July 20, nine perforated terracotta pipes were found placed one above another. The height and diameter of each pipe are both 27 centimetres. It has a thickness of 1 centimetres. The officials believe that these pipes could have been used for distillation.
An animal figurine made out of terracotta was found in Agaram on July 22. The officials believe it could be a toy. However, it is difficult to ascertain what animal it is, since it has no tail and the head has been cut off. The length of the figurine is 6.5 centimetres and the width is 4.3 centimetres.