Archaeologists working at Keeladi have unearthed a crystal quartz weighing unit from the Sangam era.
Key points
- Keeladi is a historic excavation site located 12 km southeast of Madurai in Tamil Nadu.
- The weighing unit, found 175 cm beneath the ground, is the first of its kind since excavations began in Keeladi in 2014.
- Unique in design, the crystal unit has a somewhat spherical shape. As per researchers, these weighting units were not used for paddy or vegetables but for weighing high-value items such as gold, precious and semi-precious stones.
- Crystals or mineral materials are used as weighing units because they give accurate results and do not depend on the climate.
- The crystal quartz unit might have originated in the Kangayam area (near Coimbatore).
