Tamil Nadu’s Iron Age Origins Push Global Timelines Back by 2,000 Years

Context: A recent study has revealed that the use of iron in Tamil Nadu dates back to 3345 BCE, making it the earliest known evidence of iron technology globally.

About Key Findings and Claims

• The study, titled ‘Antiquity of Iron: Recent Radiometric Dates from Tamil Nadu’, was based on advanced dating techniques like Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (AMS) and Optically Stimulated Luminescence (OSL).
• These methods were used to date samples from key archaeological sites in Tamil Nadu.

Advanced Metallurgical Techniques

• The study found three types of iron-smelting furnaces at sites like Kodumanal.
• These furnaces could reach temperatures of 1300°C, sufficient to produce sponge iron – an advanced method for early iron production.

Iron Age vs Copper Age

• The study proposes that while regions north of the Vindhyas were still in the Copper Age, southern India, particularly Tamil Nadu, had already entered the Iron Age.

Cultural Connections with Indus Valley

• Over 90% of the graffiti marks found across 140 sites in Tamil Nadu resemble those from the Indus Valley Civilization, suggesting possible cultural connections between the two regions.

Global Impact

• The discovery challenges the previous belief that the Hittite Empire in Anatolia (modern-day Turkey) was the first to use iron around 1300 BCE.
• The findings from Tamil Nadu suggest that iron technology in the region is about 2,000 years older than previously thought.

Key Sites and Findings in Tamil Nadu

• Sivagalai: Excavations here revealed 85 iron objects such as knives, axes and swords. Radiocarbon dating showed iron usage as early as 3345 BCE.
• Mayiladumparai: Samples from this site were dated to 2172 BCE, providing additional evidence of early iron use.
• Kilnamandi: A sarcophagus burial found here was dated to 1692 BCE.
• Adichanallur: Iron objects were found with charcoal dated to 2517 BCE, indicating a longstanding tradition of metallurgy.

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