THOOTHUKUDI: In search of human settlements, State Archaeological department has started excavation at Adichanallur and Sivagalai in the district. However, the officials are yet to find remnants of houses in both the sites.
Adichanallur excavation director J Baskar said that they are excavating a private land suspected to be a pre-historic human settlement. Many antiquities, kitchen utilities, metal weapons and potsherds that throw light into the presence of a human settlement have been identified. “However, we have not yet identified a house structure to confirm it as a site of human settlement,” he said.
Meanwhile, archaeologists attached to Sivagalai are excavating a small mound - Vellathiradu in Sivagalai, another suspected human settlement site. “They have, so far, dug three trenches at Vellathiradu mound and have found ancient antiquities, bones and potsherds,” said sources.
Over 20 urns of various sizes and hundreds of ancient materials, kitchen utensils, small clay dishes, bangles, bones and large pots have been unearthed in both of the archeological sites. A Manickam, a history teacher who was instrumental in bringing to fore the Sivagalai archaeological sites, said that Chekkadi, Tharusukulam, Valappanpillai Thiradu, Sasthakoil Medu, Marakapamedu and Sivagalai Melakulam areas around Sivagalai are probable human settlement sites since there are ample evidences.