Early Historic Period in South India began in 6th Century BCE: Report

Early Historic Period in South India could be securely placed in 6^th Century BCE, making it contemporaneous with Mahajanapadas of the Gangetic plains, a new report by the Tamil Nadu State Department of Archaeology (TNSDA) has revealed, relying on radiometric dates of artefacts unearthed from various excavation sites in the state.  

The report by renowned academic Prof K Rajan, R Sivanantham, Joint Director, TNSDA, and V P Yathees Kumar of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has arrived at the above conclusion after studying the brick structures, availability of copper, iron, steel, inscribed coins and seals, formation of trade routes and many other cultural items. 

The report  -- Recent Scientific Dates of Archaeological Sites of Tamil Nadu --- also states that an extensive dataset of radiometric dates from sites yielding Tamiḻi (Tamil-Brahmi) inscribed potsherds, such as Keeladi, Sivagalai and Kodumanal, places the script’s origins in the 7th-6th centuries BCE.  

TNSDA’s excavations are planned to ensure that they cover Prehistoric, Neolithic, Iron Age, Early Historic, and Medieval periods across northern, southern, eastern, western, and central regions of Tamil Nadu. This approach was adopted to avoid the bias of focusing solely on early historic or Iron Age sites and ensuring a holistic reconstruction of the region’s cultural history.  

The archaeological excavations have been creating a buzz for the past few years due to significant findings – the TNSDA has been sending samples to Beta Analytical Laboratory, Florida, US for AMS dating and to Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeosciences, Lucknow, and the Physical Research Laboratory, Ahmedabad for OSL dating.  

Majority of the early historic sites in South India date back to 3rd century BCE based on the assumption that the Brahmi script was introduced in South India after Asoka. However, the new findings challenge the long-held notion.  

Though several parameters like trade, technology, architecture, political authority, territorial integrity, and urbanisation are used to designate culture as Early Historic, the occurrence of the Brahmi script is considered the beginning of the Early Historic period in South India.  

“The recent archaeological excavations at Tamili yielding sites, particularly at Porunthal, Kodumanal, Keeladi and Alagankulam, have provided 89 radiometric dates. Of the 89, more than 50 per cent of them were assigned to pre-Asokan, and the earliest date goes back to the 6th century BCE,” the report said.  

T Udhayachandran, Commissioner (Archaeology), and Principal Secretary (Finance), Tamil Nadu, said the report also provides a secure timeline for the emergence of literacy and urbanism in the region. The findings necessitate a crucial revision of previous historical models that assumed a later, derivative process of state formation in the South, he added.  

The findings come eight months after the TNSDA said iron implements found at Sivagalai, located on the left bank of the Thamirabarani River, have been dated to 3345 BCE -- the earliest known date for smelted iron not just in India, but anywhere in the world. These dates have pushed the introduction of smelted iron in India back by over a millennia compared to previous estimates, positioning the region as a pioneering hub of early metallurgy, surpassing global timelines. 

The latest report said at present, the vast time bracket covering the period between 3500 BCE and 700 BCE is designated as the Iron Age, while the appearance of the Tamili script in the 7th-6th century BCE is considered the beginning of the Early Historic period.  

“AMS dates obtained for samples collected from the graves at Kilnamandi, Mangadu, Thelunganur, Mayiladumparai, Adichanallur and Sivagalai yielded important AMS and OSL dates that provide a clue for understanding the introduction of iron and also the transformation from the late Neolithic Phase to the Early Iron Age,” the report added.  

The recent scientific dates further suggest that the Copper Age of North India and the Iron Age of South India are probably contemporary. “Future excavations and scientific dates may further clarify or strengthen the nature of the introduction of iron in India,” the report added.