CHENNAI:In the wake of archaeologists finding ancient stone tools in Attirampakkam, an archaeological site located in the Kortallayar river basin about 60 km from Chennai, turning the ‘Out of Africa’ exodus date upside down, interest around the prehistoric archaeology of Tamil Nadu has skyrocketed. As part of Egmore museum’s International Museum Day celebrations, Shanti Pappu of Sharma Centre for Heritage Education, gave us a peek into the history of human evolution in the state, based on the stone tool/fossil studies.
“After the findings and study on the tools excavated from Attirampakkam, the antiquity of the Indian Middle Palaeolithic (IMP) culture, closely associated with the dispersal of modern humans from Africa, has been pushed by almost 50,000 years,” she said.Inviting volunteers to identify the nature of skull fossils, Shanti explained the evolution of the facial structure, cognitive abilities and also the aesthetic sensibilities of our ancestors.
Shanti said that their excavation at Attirampakkam started almost 20 years ago. “To understand the environment back then, we studied the fossil of fauna remains, pollen fossils, ancient soil and sediments, through stratigraphy, giving a chronology of the different layers,” she shared.By studying the site layer by layer, they have also been able to reconstruct the history of human culture, behaviour, and habitation. “We try to publish our results in journals to know and spread awareness about how important Tamil Nadu is in the story of Indian prehistory. The stone tools from the site suggest that the Indian IMP emerged from the preceding Acheulean culture,” she explained.
The tools found at the site are complex in design and also bear evidence of technologies used by Middle Paleolithic cultures. “Some of the technology predates the arrival of modern humans in India, sparking a debate about the origins of the IMP culture,” she said. The age and time of the excavated artefacts were calculated using luminescence dating. “It uses radiation induced luminescence,” she elucidated.
The simple stone tools evolved into sophisticated instruments. “These provide concrete evidence about the way our ancestors thought and how the technology for tool making developed,” she said.The story of our evolution is not a straight line. “It has evolved and the results derived from the excavation and study, bring a drastic change in how we look at human evolution and the existing notion about human dispersal from Africa,” she added.
History of human culture
By studying the site layer by layer, they have also been able to reconstruct the history of human culture, behaviour, and habitation. “We try to publish our results in journals to know and spread awareness about how important Tamil Nadu is in the story of Indian prehistory,” said Shanti.