Iron knife found in archaeological excavation in Tamil Nadu

Chennai: A broken knife made of iron weighing 23 grams was unearthed during archaeological excavation at Marungur in Cuddalore district on Tuesday, in yet another evidence that the inhabitants of ancient Tamil civilisations were aware of Iron technology. 

The discovery comes a week after the Tamil Nadu State Department of Archaeology (TNSDA) announced that carbon dating of artefacts unearthed from recent archaeological excavations in the state have established that the usage of iron dates back to at least 5,300 years ago.

The finding by the TNSDA which was validated by 10 experts from across the country is the oldest date available for the Iron Age in India. 

Finance Minister Thangam Thenarasu, who also holds additional charge of archaeology, said the iron knife, in a broken state, was found at a depth of 257 cm from one of the trenches dug at Marungur archaeological site. 

“The knife, measuring 13 cm long and 2.88 mm thickness, weighs 22.97 grams. While arrowheads and nails made of iron were found during previous phases of excavation, the discovery of a knife made of iron is indicative of the fact that inhabitants of ancient civilizations mastered the art of iron,” Thenarasu said. 

Copper coins, agate, glass beads, and rouletted pottery from the Rajaraja Chola period were discovered from the site in the past. “The recent discovery of an iron knife has confirmed that this is a historically significant archaeological site,” Thenarasu added. 

Archaeologists are looking for evidence of the Iron Age in Marungur and the discovery of an iron knife, though broken, is a significant development. 

Last week’s findings based on AMS and OSL dating of cultural deposits excavated from Adichanallur, Sivagalai, Mayiladumparai, Mangadu, Thelunganur, and Kilnamandi sites also introduced a new hypothesis that the Copper Age of North India and the Iron Age of South India are probably contemporary. 

The report by TNSDA said Iron was probably introduced in Tamil Nadu as early as 3345 BCE (5,300 years ago), over a millennium earlier than the previously established date of 2172 BCE arrived at from Mayiladumparai. 

Excavations are currently on in eight locations across Tamil Nadu, including in Keeladi, the Sangam Era site which rekindled the interest among Tamils in archaeology. 

Findings from Keeladi have created a buzz in the past few years after artefacts unearthed from there pushed the Sangam Era to 600 BCE from 300 BCE. 

The Archeological Survey of India, which conducted the first two phases of excavation, also derived the period of the Sangam-era archaeological site to be between 8th century BCE to 3rd century CE.