The Iron Age in Tamil Nadu stretches back 4,200 years, according to iron implements discovered during excavations in a small hamlet named Mayiladumparai.
Iron use in Tamil Land dates back to 2172 BCE
- Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin said in the Assembly that it has been established that Tamils who lived 4,200 years ago were aware of iron.
- Before this, the earliest evidence of iron use was from 1900-2000 BCE for the country, and Thelunganur and Mangadu near Mettur, dating back to 1500 BCE for Tamil Nadu.
- The latest evidence dates the findings from Tamil Nadu to 2172 BCE.
- Chief Minister MK Stalin announced in the state Assembly on May 9, that radiocarbon dating of excavations from Mayiladumparai in Krishnagiri district confirmed that iron was used in Tamil Nadu as early as 2172 BCE — or 4,200 years ago — making it the oldest iron age site currently found in India.
About Mayiladumparai
- Mayiladumparai, about 100 km south of Bengaluru, is an important site with cultural material dating back between the Microlithic (30,000 BCE) and Early Historic (600 BCE) ages.
- The site is situated in the midst of several archaeological sites such as Togarapalli, Gangavaram, Sandur, Vedarthattakkal, Guttur, Gidlur, Sappamutlu and Kappalavadi.
- All these important archaeological sites lie within 10 km.
Iron uses history in India
- Iron is not known to have been used in the Indus Valley, from where the use of copper in India is said to have originated (1500 BCE).
- In 1979, use of iron was traced to 1300 BCE at Ahar in Rajasthan.
- Later, samples at Bukkasagara in Karnataka, indicating iron production, were dated back to 1530 BCE.
- The date was subsequently pushed back to 1700-1800 BCE with excavations finding evidence of iron smelting at Raipura in the Mid-Ganga valley.
- Then the date was subsequently pushed back to1900-2000 BCE based on investigations in sites at Malhar near Varanasi and Brahmagiri in North Karnataka.
- A series of dating results on finds from various parts in India have shown evidence of iron-ore technology before 1800 BCE.
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