The Keeladi civilization may be linked to the famed Indus Valley, or Harappan, civilization. (Tamil Nadu Department of Archaeology)
Posted on 08/15/2021 12:25:14 PM PDT by SunkenCiv
Archaeologists working in the village of Konthagai in southern India have found a rusted iron dagger preserved in a burial urn alongside skeletal remains, the Times of India reports. The discovery is part of a major excavation effort in the state of Tamil Nadu that seeks to shine a light on the ancient Keeladi civilization.
Though the dagger's 16-inch steel blade was rusted and broken in half, part of its wooden handle remained intact. R. Sivanandam, director of the Tamil Nadu Department of Archaeology, tells the Hindu that this type of weapon was used by warriors during the Sangam period...
The wood's unusual preservation may allow researchers to precisely date artifacts found at the site. Sivanandam says a lab in the United States will attempt to date the dagger handle.
Since the start of the digging season in February, archaeologists in Konthagai have discovered 25 burial urns. Some were filled with bones, weapons and other objects. Scientists at Madurai Kamaraj University in Tamil Nadu are conducting DNA tests on the human remains.
As the Times notes, the researchers think that Konthagai was a burial site for the Keeladi civilization.
...digs have yielded large numbers of cow, ox, buffalo and goat skeletons, suggesting agricultural activity by the ancient Keeladi people. Archaeologists have also found structures with clay floors; brick walls; and post-holes, which may have held wooden poles used to support roofs. Artifacts recovered at the site show that members of the civilization played board games and inscribed letters on pottery using the Tamil-Brahmi script...
In 2019, M.C. Rajan of the Hindustan Times reported that discoveries at Keeladi suggest the community that lived there—also referred to as the Vaigai civilization after a nearby river—may have descended from the Harappan civilization.
(Excerpt) Read more at smithsonianmag.com ...
The Keeladi civilization may be linked to the famed Indus Valley, or Harappan, civilization. (Tamil Nadu Department of Archaeology)
16” blade...”This is a knife.”
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This was the clearest image they could make of the dagger?
Seriously?
Stay focused, guys!
Oh, boo hoo.
It should at a bare minimum be clear enough to determine if the scale says “inches” or “metric”!
16 inches is on the edge of “big knife” or “short sword”.
Kali Ma and the Thuggees.
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