India's new oldest Iron Age site! TN excavations confirm iron was used 4200 years ago in India
The radiocarbon dating of excavations from the site of Mayiladumparai in Krishnagiri district has confirmed that iron was used in Tamil Nadu as early as 2172 BCE; 4,200 years ago.
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Chennai, May 14: Excavations carried out in Mayiladumparai, in the state of Tamil Nadu has confirmed that iron was used 4,200 years ago in India. The site has become the oldest iron age site of India. The information was provided by TN Chief Minister MK Stalin.
According to Chief Minister MK Stalin's announcement in the state assembly on May 9, the radiocarbon dating of excavations from the site of Mayiladumparai in Krishnagiri district has confirmed that iron was used in Tamil Nadu as early as 2172 BCE; 4,200 years ago. The recent founding has designated the site of Mayiladumparai as presently the oldest iron age site of India.
Further stressing about the significance of the finding, CM Stalin said that the research provided a potent solution to the queries related to the origins of agrarian civilization in Tamil Nadu. Stalin noted that farming activities in Tamil Nadu began only after the discovery of iron and the knowledge to apply it.
The excavation also included other significant discoveries; evidence that the late Neolithic period in Tamil Nadu began before 2200 BCE. It was deduced based on a cultural deposit 25 cm below the dated level. Archaeologists working on the excavation have also discovered that black and red ware pottery were introduced during the late Neolithic period, rather than the Iron Age, which was the previous notion.