VILLUPURAM: Stone axe tools believed to be from the Neolithic period, dating back about 5,000 years, have been discovered in Veedur village in Villupuram.
The discovery was made by Aranga Mayakrishnan, Assistant Professor in the Department of History at Ramakrishna Mission Vivekananda College, Chennai, Jayapradha Mayakrishnan, research scholar in the Department of History at A Govindasamy Government Arts College, Tindivanam, and Dr P Hariharasuthan, Guest Lecturer in the Department of Economics at the same college. The team conducted a field study last week at Kammalamedu, located near the confluence of the Varaha and Thondi rivers in Veedur.
“The tools found in this area are believed to belong to the Neolithic period, about 5,000 years ago. The findings indicate that Neolithic people lived in this region and used these tools for digging pits and agricultural activities,” said Mayakrishnan. He added, “It is understood that Neolithic people began to practise agriculture, settled in one place, and built huts near hills and riverbanks. They gradually shifted from consuming animal meat to eating grains and learned to cultivate crops and domesticate animals.”
“The transition from the Old Stone Age to the New Stone Age marks a period of scientific and social change. Similar, Neolithic tools have been found in several parts of Tamil Nadu, including Payyampalli, Mayiladumparai, Sivakalai, Pattarai Perumpudur, Vadakupattu, Athirampakkam, Kudium, Ilandakarai, Valasai, and Chettimedu,” he said.
The tools discovered at Veedur provide archaeological evidence of Neolithic human habitation in Villupuram.