Archaeological Excavations in Tamil Nadu: A Preliminary Report

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Archaeological excavations are being carried out throughout the world with the intention of understanding and filling the cultural gaps that exist in the long history of a nation. In the initial stage of research, the primary purpose of archaeological excavation is to systematically uncover, document, and study material remains from past human activities in order to understand human history and culture. In essence, archaeological excavation is about extracting information about past human lives from the material remnants they left behind. This careful and systematic approach allows archaeologists to reconstruct histories, understand cultural developments, and preserve our shared heritage for future generations. In the course of time, the purpose is extended to the extent that how ancient people interacted with their environment, adapted to changes, developed technologies, and practised their beliefs and rituals. Archaeologists try to understand the cognitive properties of human behaviour based on tangible and intangible evidences. The ethnic identity and territorial integrity are slowly penetrated into the archaeological investigations to prove or disprove the very existence of the society. In the Indian context, the language played a crucial role in controlling the geographical entity and in recent years, aDNA started taking its position through cutting-edge research in sciences. Science plays a vital and increasingly important role in reconstructing the past, especially in the field of archaeology. It provides archaeologists with powerful tools and methodologies to extract information from material remains that traditional methods alone cannot yield. The physical and biological sciences started dominating the archaeological research as they brought to the fore new dimensions to the archaeological research, and they solvedmany unsettled issues. Human migration and its subsequent economic, social, political, and linguistic dominance regulate society to unravelits history to establish and re-establish its identity in the domain of language and culture. In summary, scientific advancements have become an indispensable part of archaeological research, offering methods to date finds, discover hidden sites, reconstruct past environments and diets, and analyse artefacts and human remains in unprecedented detail. This interdisciplinary approach allows for a richer and more accurate reconstruction of the human past, deepening our understanding of ancient cultures, economies and societies.

The persistent and determined demand of the society and the nation compelled current administrators and archaeologists to launch a programme that fulfil the aspirations of contemporary society and also guides the future generation to grow as receptive and responsible citizens. The Tamil Nadu State Department of Archaeology planned a well-structured and target-oriented excavation programmes covering spatially the entire stretch of the state and chronologically the entire cultural periods so as to reconstruct the cultural history of Tamil Nadu in a more meaningful and purposeful manner. The excavations were carried out at eight sites covering from Prehistoric times to the historical period. Each excavation is unique in its way and provides considerable information to fill the cultural gaps of Tamil Nadu. The site Chennanur yielded the cultural horizon moving from microlithic to neolithic with an OSL date of 10,000 years. Urn burials placed within a rectangular enclosure were exposed for the first time in Tamil Nadu at Tirumalapuram, signifying the emergence of a kind of clan-based society during the Iron Age. The graffiti signs found on the urns stand as a unique opportunity for the archaeologists to estimate their chronological and cultural context. At Kilnamandi, the three stages of Neolithic tool production centres and their subsequent cultural transformation associated with sarcophagus burial within a pit or chambers were unearthed. For the first time, a radiocarbon date for graffiti mark was obtained in Tamil Nadu. The occurrence of Tamili inscribed potsherds unearthed at Marungur and the exposureof urn burials substantiate its earlier findings. Keeladi, the early historic urban centre, is further strengthened with more material evidence reflecting structural, trade and literary activities. Kongalnagram located on the ancient trade route displayed the position of russet-coated ware and also the nature of chamber tombs and their continuity in the early historic period. The continuity of the construction of forts and fortifications and its utility till today is well-exposed at Porpanaikottai. Thus, each archaeological site and each excavation programme revealed important cultural events, demonstrating the continuity and cultural prosperity. The present monograph attempts to highlight the cultural significance of each excavated site carried out in the year 2024-2025.

Archaeology is a scientific discipline that reconstructs human past life based on material remains recovered from systematic excavations. In the initial stages of research, the focus was more on rebuilding the cultural history of India in chronological order. Over time, it has become increasingly realised that mere material interpretation is inadequate to reconstruct past human life, as the surroundings control and guide life. The environment, eco-settings, resources, and the level of technology achieved, modified, and adopted by our ancestors had a profound effect on the nature of their cultural, political, and economic growth. Therefore, archaeologists have started looking for scientific data from various disciplines to interpret the story of humans more effectively and efficiently. The necessity of an interdisciplinary approach to the subject due to the multifaceted growth of science and technology and its usefulness in interpreting the material remains is increasingly realised. A multidisciplinary approach adopted in archaeological research progressively invited other subject experts in the fields of language, literature, linguistics, anthropology, metallurgy, archaeozoology, palaeobotany, biotechnology, aDNA, and many other related areas to interpret the material remains in a more meaningful and resourceful manner.

The Tamil Nadu State Department of Archaeology embarked upon reconstructing the socio-economic and cultural life of the Tamils through intensive explorations and excavations. It has identified a vast vacuum that has existed throughout the long history of Tamil Nadu. To fill the cultural gaps, well-planned systematic excavation programmes were planned to uncover the cultural wealth of each cultural zone by identifying potential archaeological sites. The well-structured excavation programme tries to cover the entire Tamil Nadu in time and space. The excavation was undertaken at eight places in 2024-25 covering a vast geographical area. Chronologically, it covers the period from the Microlithic-Neolithic transition to the Medieval period. The excavations brought to light several invaluable artefacts and ecofacts that could provide new perspectives and interpretations to change our understanding towards the cultural history of the Tamil region.

I congratulate all the Directors of Excavations who earnestly synthesised their findings and placed them before the academicians and the public for their observations. My heartfelt thanks to all the team members who were involved in the excavations 2024-2025. For the first time, the Tamil Nadu State Department of Archaeology has brought such preliminary reports of all excavated sites before going to the next season of excavation. I wish to congratulate the editors K.Rajan, R.Sivanantham, and V.P. Yathees Kumar, who consolidated the entire data and shaped the preliminary report, Archaeological Excavations in Tamil Nadu.