Sangam Age fish symbol incised on ring well found in Keeladi

A ring well incised with the decorated fish symbol has been unearthed during the seventh phase of the archaeological excavation in Keeladi near Madurai, in yet another evidence that the site belonged to the Sangam Age.

The fish symbol, which is an integral part of the flag believed to have been used by the mighty Pandiyan Kingdom, was found incised on a ring well that looked like a design. Tamil Nadu Minister for Tamil Culture and Archaeology Thangam Thennarasu took to Twitter on Tuesday morning to share a picture of the ring well.

“Decorated Fish Symbol found in one of the ring wells for the first time in Keeladi excavations. Ever-fascinating Keeladi,” Thennarasu tweeted after inspecting the site at Keeladi. The seventh phase of excavations in Keeladi ended on September 30 during which over 5,000 artefacts have been found.

Over a dozen ring wells have so far been found in Keeladi and Agaram, another habitation site, demonstrating the water conservation technology used by Tamil over 2,000 years ago. Carbon dating of artefacts found in the fourth phase of excavations in Keeladi found they were at least 2,600 years old, pushing the Sangam Era further back by 300 years.

“After the necessary touch-up and cleaning, we found the fish symbol incised on the ring well. This is the first time that we have found fish symbol on a ring well in Keeladi. It looks like they have used a nail to draw the fish symbol,” a source in the Tamil Nadu State Department of Archaeology (TNSDA) told DH.

Archaeologists said the decorated fish symbol is yet another evidence to conclude that Keeladi is a Sangam Era site. Several artefacts found during Keeladi excavations have thrown enough evidence to suggest that the site belonged to the Sangam Era.

Archaeological findings in Keeladi and Sivagalai in Thoothukudi district have created a buzz with researchers and archaeologists in Tamil Nadu calling them significant as they “narrow down” the gap between the Tamil urban settlements and the Indus Valley Civilisation (IVC). However, they say “more evidence” should be forthcoming.

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