THOOTHUKUDI: With a gold object being recently found at the Adichanallur excavation site after a gap of over 117 years, archaeologists and enthusiasts in the region are an upbeat lot. The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) experts had unearthed a gold earring from the site while excavating for the iconic museum project near the Thamirabarani banks.
Between 1899 and 1905, the British-era archaeologists headed by Archaeological Survey Superintendent Alexander Rea had found over 20 gold diadem and frontlets at Adichanallur. According to ASI's Tiruchy zone Director D Arun Raj, two broken pieces of a gold earring was found recently from a depth of around 30 cm at the 'C site on the northern part of the mound. The earring was 1.2 cm in diameter and weighed 500 milligrammes. The mineral composition analysis of the ear ring revealed it to be 87.35% gold, 11.21% silver and 1.43% copper, he said.
Speaking to TNIE, Arun Raj said finding a gold object at the site after 117 years has boosted the morale of the excavating team. "This is a historical finding as a gold earring is unearthed here for the first time. All previous gold discoveries were diadems. The ancient settlers had good knowledge on crafting alloys using gold, silver, bronze and copper. We found the earring at a spot very close to where Rea excavated. We identified the spots dug by Rea by superimposing Rea's workplan and mapping the site. As we excavated near the site, we observed the same soil features as mentioned by Rea," he said.
Adichanallur has been renowned for a treasure trove of archaeological findings ever since Dr Jagor from Berlin first excavated it in 1876. Expressing happiness over the 'gold' discovery, writer Muthalankurichi Kamarasu said, "There have been many excavations at Adichanallur between 1905 and 2022, including the detailed excavation by Dr Satyamurthy in 2004-06, but gold ornaments have only now been unearthed."