Artefacts from 1500 BCE go on display at Madurai Museum
MADURAI: Dozens of artefacts dating back to 1500 BC, that were found at the foothills of Soolapuram village in Peraiyur Taluk over the past year, have gone on display for the first time at the Government Museum in the district.
The artefacts include hundreds of Carnelian beads in different shapes (button shaped, drum shaped and edged), glass beads, glass ornaments, black and red ware pottery, rasa-coated pottery, skeletal remains, including skulls and bones, copper hooks, copper bangles, weighing stone and iron implements.
Speaking to The New Indian Express, curator of the museum, M Marudhupandian, said that the core material of Carnelian beads found from the site indicate that the raw materials would have been sourced from places like Afghanistan and Rajasthan, as such materials are not available in Tamil Nadu. The rasa-coated pottery has been elegantly designed and edged with graffiti marks.
He quoted Professor K Rajan of Pondicherry Central University as saying that 'Tamili' would have originated from such graffiti marks. "Rajan produced the excavation reports from Vallam in Thanjavur, Kodumanal in Erode and Porundhal in Dindigul to prove his point. These pieces of pottery are in line with his statement. However, unlike other places where many such artefacts were found along the river side, these materials were found in a burial site in a hillock region. This opens a new door for future research. Besides, the oval-shaped pottery, which showcases the then material culture, holds significance as it is on par with the findings in Adichanallur," he said, adding that a book would soon be published after conducting further study on the artefacts.
A researcher, Udhayakumar of Pandya Nadu Centre for Historical Research, conducted an exploration at the foothills of Soolapuram village where cist burials and urn burials were identified two years ago. However, excavation was not conducted back then. "Later, an Economics professor of Gandhigram Rural Institute, Murugesan, took us to the spot where a burial site, spread across 20 acres, was found. An individual, who did not want to be identified, collected small such artefacts and have been handing them over to the Peraiyur Taluk office for the past one year. The district administration then handed over all the relics to the Government Museum based on Indian Treasure Trove Act, " said Marudhupandian, adding that experts from both the State Archeology Department and the Archaeological Survey of India have already conducted an exploration at the site and the reports are yet to be published. However, the site has been found to be a good spot for excavation and it is likely to be carried out soon, he added.