Iron Age in Tamil Nadu dates back 4,200 years, oldest in India, excavated implements reveal

The rest of the Tamil, Tamil Nadu keywords, sorted, modern stuff edited out:

Archaeologists Unearth Ancient Dagger Linked to Enigmatic Indian Civilization [Tamil Nadu] [08/15/2021]
Wood Buried Under Ocean Floor Thousands of Miles at Sea [10/22/2019]
2000-year-old temple found underwater off Indian coast [04/08/2016]
Land bridges linking ancient India, Eurasia were 'freeways' for biodiversity exchange [03/26/2016]
RSS gives defunct ASI wing a job: Search for Dwarka, Rama Setu [06/28/2015]
Disease and trauma within collapsing Indus Civilisation [12/27/2013]
Underwater survey in TN to verify Ptolemy's account [09/15/2013]
How science discovered the historical Krishna [08/27/2010]
South Indians in Roman Egypt? [04/07/2010]
Sudden disappearance of Deep River scientist mystifies colleagues [02/21/2010]
Symbols akin to Indus valley culture found [09/29/2009]
[Tamil Nadu] 'TN inhabited by people dissimilar to Tamils in pre-historic times' [02/16/2009]
From Indus Valley To Coastal Tamil Nadu [05/02/2008]
Forecasting Tsunami Threats Through Layers of Sand and Time [03/19/2008]
Tamil Brahmi script in Egypt [12/03/2007]
Geology Picture of the Week, Sept. 23-29, 2007: Hogenakkal, The Niagara of India [09/28/2007]
Report on Hindu god Ram withdrawn [09/14/2007]
Experts Survey Seabed Off Gujarat For Dwarka Evidence (India) [08/19/2007]
Tamil Tiger eastern base 'taken' [07/11/2007]
History stands still in seabed off Sri Lanka [07/08/2007]
US heritage body wants Ram Setu preserved [06/09/2007]
LTTE exploit flaws in Sri Lankan air defence to launch airstrikes [04/30/2007]
Ram Sethu: Scientific Evidence Of Ancient Human Activity (Ramas Bridge) [04/23/2007]
Can the monkey god save Rama?s underwater bridge? [03/27/2007]
Pillars with inscriptions of Pallava, Chola kings found [03/21/2007]
No archaeological studies to support existence of Ram Sethu [03/07/2007]
Tamil-Brahmi inscription on pottery found in Thailand [07/17/2006]
Massive hunt for ancient manuscripts in Tamil Nadu [original was "TN"] [05/02/2006]
Indus cities dried up with monsoon [05/02/2006]
Significance of Mayiladuthurai find -- Links between Harappa and Neolithic Tamil Nadu [04/30/2006]
Rare Artefacts Found (India - 'Kuravai Koothu') [03/28/2006]
'Ancient' boat expedition hits trouble [09/09/2005]
Mystery of the smiling Buddha that arrived as a gift from the tsunami [05/30/2005]
New Pallava temple complex discovered in Mahabalipuram [04/13/2005]
More Temples Pop Out of Sea-Bed (Uncovered by Tsunami) [04/02/2005]
Tsunami Uncovers Ancient City in India [02/18/2005]
The sea claimed an ancient capital of India. Now it has given it back [02/13/2005]
Tsunami uncovers stone carvings (India) [02/13/2005]
Tsunami throws up India relics - The Tides of Spirituality [02/12/2005]
Tsunami throws up India relics [02/11/2005]
Mystery death at India monastery [01/20/2005]
Situation getting worse by the day for orphans [01/12/2005]
Dining with terrorists [01/10/2005]
Sri Lanka - Tamil Tiger chief Prabhakaran washed away by tsunami? [01/09/2005]
Disaster Opens Prospect of Peace in Sri Lanka [01/05/2005]
Pray for us in Southeast Asia! [12/30/2004]
Tamil Trade [09/11/2004]
Skeletons, Script Found At Ancient Burial Site In Tamil Nadu [05/30/2004]
Submerged City May Be Older Than Mesopotamia [12/04/2003]
Of lasting genes and lost cities of Tamil Nadu [01/11/2003]
Of Lasting Genes And Lost Cities Of Tamil Nadu [01/05/2003]
Ramayana bridge [10/21/2002]
Hanuman bridge is myth: Experts [10/19/2002]
NASA digital images discover ancient "Ramayana" bridge between India, Lanka [10/09/2002]
Clues To Missing Pagodas Found [07/10/2002]
Divers find remains of six 'lost temples' [04/10/2002]
Divers Find Ruins Of Mythical City Off India [04/10/2002]

Tamils knew use of iron 4,000 years ago, archaeological findings show
https://www.deccanherald.com/national/south/tamils-knew-use-of-iron-4000-years-ago-archaeological-findings-show-1107771.html

I subscribe to the Elamo Dravidian hypothesis that the entire swathe of peoples from Tamil Nadu to Elam to Sumeria were related. I’d extend that to the agglutinative languages of the Kartvelian and Baswue language families

Nothing much had changed until the British arrived.

Had changed from what? A lot changed between even 1000 ad and 1500 ad

The possibility of Tamil roots in Harappa looked plausible to me as well, but the relationships between agglutinative languages is ever in flux. Most eastern Asian languages are agglutinative, but not necessarily particularly related to one another. And language comes and goes, and when it's gone, it's gone.

Harappan has been cracked a bunch of times, but none of the purported decipherments has caught on/held up under scrutiny. Most accept that the language (if any) has an agglutinative structure.

Sumerian is an isolate, with very little known loan vocabulary (they adopted the place names and river names, as by their own account, they came from elsewhere). That makes the problem worse, as the deviation in the changes in possible related languages can't be documented, what with Sumerian being the oldest known written language. Their relatives are entirely silent, probably permanently.

[snip] The ancient Harappan genome, sequenced and described in the journal Cell, was compared to the DNA of modern South Asians, revealing that the people of the IVC were the primary ancestors of most living Indians. Both modern South Asian DNA and the Harappan genome have a telltale mixture of ancient Iranian DNA and a smattering of Southeast Asian hunter-gatherer lineages. "Ancestry like that in the IVC individuals is the primary ancestry source in South Asia today," co-author David Reich, a geneticist at Harvard Medical School, said in a statement. "This finding ties people in South Asia today directly to the Indus Valley Civilization." [/snip]
Rare Ancient DNA Provides Window Into a 5,000-Year-Old South Asian Civilization | Brian Handwerk | Smithsonian | September 5, 2019

[Tamil Nadu] 'TN inhabited by people dissimilar to Tamils in pre-historic times' [02/16/2009]
Significance of Mayiladuthurai find -- Links between Harappa and Neolithic Tamil Nadu [04/30/2006]
Skeletons, Script Found At Ancient Burial Site In Tamil Nadu [05/30/2004]
Submerged City May Be Older Than Mesopotamia [12/04/2003]
Of lasting genes and lost cities of Tamil Nadu [01/11/2003]
Of Lasting Genes And Lost Cities Of Tamil Nadu [01/05/2003]
Symbols akin to Indus valley culture found [09/29/2009]
Tamil Brahmi script in Egypt [12/03/2007]
Tamil-Brahmi inscription on pottery found in Thailand [07/17/2006]

The rest of the Tamil, Tamil Nadu keywords, sorted, modern stuff edited out, this time for sure:

Archaeologists Unearth Ancient Dagger Linked to Enigmatic Indian Civilization [Tamil Nadu] [08/15/2021]
Wood Buried Under Ocean Floor Thousands of Miles at Sea [10/22/2019]
2000-year-old temple found underwater off Indian coast [04/08/2016]
Land bridges linking ancient India, Eurasia were 'freeways' for biodiversity exchange [03/26/2016]
RSS gives defunct ASI wing a job: Search for Dwarka, Rama Setu [06/28/2015]
Disease and trauma within collapsing Indus Civilisation [12/27/2013]
Underwater survey in TN to verify Ptolemy's account [09/15/2013]
How science discovered the historical Krishna [08/27/2010]
South Indians in Roman Egypt? [04/07/2010]
Sudden disappearance of Deep River scientist mystifies colleagues [02/21/2010]
Symbols akin to Indus valley culture found [09/29/2009]
[Tamil Nadu] 'TN inhabited by people dissimilar to Tamils in pre-historic times' [02/16/2009]
From Indus Valley To Coastal Tamil Nadu [05/02/2008]
Forecasting Tsunami Threats Through Layers of Sand and Time [03/19/2008]
Tamil Brahmi script in Egypt [12/03/2007]
Geology Picture of the Week, Sept. 23-29, 2007: Hogenakkal, The Niagara of India [09/28/2007]
Report on Hindu god Ram withdrawn [09/14/2007]
Experts Survey Seabed Off Gujarat For Dwarka Evidence (India) [08/19/2007]
History stands still in seabed off Sri Lanka [07/08/2007]
US heritage body wants Ram Setu preserved [06/09/2007]
Ram Sethu: Scientific Evidence Of Ancient Human Activity (Ramas Bridge) [04/23/2007]
Can the monkey god save Rama?s underwater bridge? [03/27/2007]
Pillars with inscriptions of Pallava, Chola kings found [03/21/2007]
No archaeological studies to support existence of Ram Sethu [03/07/2007]
Tamil-Brahmi inscription on pottery found in Thailand [07/17/2006]
Massive hunt for ancient manuscripts in Tamil Nadu [original was "TN"] [05/02/2006]
Indus cities dried up with monsoon [05/02/2006]
Significance of Mayiladuthurai find -- Links between Harappa and Neolithic Tamil Nadu [04/30/2006]
Rare Artefacts Found (India - 'Kuravai Koothu') [03/28/2006]
'Ancient' boat expedition hits trouble [09/09/2005]
Mystery of the smiling Buddha that arrived as a gift from the tsunami [05/30/2005]
New Pallava temple complex discovered in Mahabalipuram [04/13/2005]
More Temples Pop Out of Sea-Bed (Uncovered by Tsunami) [04/02/2005]
Tsunami Uncovers Ancient City in India [02/18/2005]
The sea claimed an ancient capital of India. Now it has given it back [02/13/2005]
Tsunami uncovers stone carvings (India) [02/13/2005]
Tsunami throws up India relics - The Tides of Spirituality [02/12/2005]
Tsunami throws up India relics [02/11/2005]
Mystery death at India monastery [01/20/2005]
Tamil Trade [09/11/2004]
Skeletons, Script Found At Ancient Burial Site In Tamil Nadu [05/30/2004]
Submerged City May Be Older Than Mesopotamia [12/04/2003]
Of lasting genes and lost cities of Tamil Nadu [01/11/2003]
Of Lasting Genes And Lost Cities Of Tamil Nadu [01/05/2003]
Ramayana bridge [10/21/2002]
Hanuman bridge is myth: Experts [10/19/2002]
NASA digital images discover ancient "Ramayana" bridge between India, Lanka [10/09/2002]
Clues To Missing Pagodas Found [07/10/2002]
Divers find remains of six 'lost temples' [04/10/2002]
Divers Find Ruins Of Mythical City Off India [04/10/2002]

Okay, so, this is four keywords -- Harappa, Harappan, IndusValley, IndusValleyScript -- processed, sorted, and duplicates out. Finally got sensible with the duplicates out program, btw, not that it's relevant.

Scientists analyse traces of ingredients in 5300 to 4000 year old cooking vessels [04/05/2022]
Why is the The Mesopotamian Civilization considered the oldest civilization? [02/19/2022]
Archaeologists Unearth Ancient Dagger Linked to Enigmatic Indian Civilization [Tamil Nadu] [08/15/2021]
Pot Residues Lift the Lid on Ancient Indus Valley Food Choices [12/09/2020]
Albanian Neolithic Remains Evidence Oldest Known Case of Osteopetrosis [11/06/2020]
Was there music during the Indus Valley Civilisation? [03/16/2020]
Ancient monkey painting suggests Bronze Age Greeks travelled widely [02/04/2020]
Keezhadi excavations: Sangam era older than previously thought, finds study [India] [09/23/2019]
Graphene and Water Treatment [08/31/2019]
History of Writing & Printing: [08/24/2019]
The Price of Plunder [Hasanlu Tepe gold cup] [03/30/2019]
In a first, ancient couple found in Harappan grave [02/16/2019]
Man unknowingly buys 4,000-year-old pottery at flea market, uses it as toothbrush holder [12/07/2018]
Welcome to the Meghalayan Age - a new phase in history [07/19/2018]
Did this ancient civilization avoid war for 2000 years? [04/10/2018]
Micro To Macro Mapping -- Observing Past Landscapes Via Remote-sensing [02/18/2018]
Harappan Workshops Excavated in Northwest India [07/07/2016]
Indus Valley civilisation may pre-date Egypt's pharoahs: Ancient society is 2,500 years older [tr] [06/02/2016]
Ancient civilization: Cracking the Indus script [10/21/2015]
Tales teeth can tell: Dental enamel reveals surprising migration patterns in ancient Indus civ... [05/09/2015]
The ancient city that's crumbling away [03/23/2015]
4,000-Year-Old Copper Crown Found in India [01/04/2015]
A New Type of Inscribed Copper Plate from Indus Valley (Harappan) Civilisation [10/17/2014]
Harappan-era seal found in Rajasthan [02/05/2014]
Disease and trauma within collapsing Indus Civilisation [12/27/2013]
Is Haryana home to older, larger Harappan-era site? [06/26/2013]
Surprising Discoveries From the Indus Civilization [05/04/2013]
Is the Harappan civilisation 2000 years older? [11/14/2012]
A Turkish origin for Indo-European languages [08/24/2012]
Massive Gold Trove Sparks Archeological Dispute [06/21/2012]
New Indo-European Language Discovered [06/21/2012]
Huge Ancient Civilization's Collapse Explained [05/29/2012]
Rethinking the Thundering Hordes [05/06/2012]
History's Most Overlooked Mysteries [04/29/2012]
Bones kill myth of happy Harappa - Study shows gender discrimination [12/04/2011]
Play was important -- even 4,000 years ago [02/21/2011]
Early Cities Spurred Evolution of Immune System? [ "Amazing" DNA results show benefits ] [11/12/2010]
Unearthed Aryan cities rewrite history [10/04/2010]
Computers to translate world's 'lost' languages after program deciphers ancient text [07/21/2010]
Deciphering the Indus script: challenges and some headway [04/18/2010]
A Millennium Conundrum [Indus Valley Script] [02/23/2010]
Indus Valley's Bronze Age civilisation 'had first sophisticated financial exchange system' [11/20/2009]
Symbols akin to Indus valley culture found [09/29/2009]
Indian ancestry revealed [09/23/2009]
White Europeans evolved only ‘5,500 years ago' [08/30/2009]
Computers unlock more secrets of the mysterious Indus Valley script [08/03/2009]
Indus Valley's secrets to remain buried: Insecurity forces archaeologists to abandon excavations [07/01/2009]
Decoding antiquity: Eight scripts that still can't be read [05/29/2009]
Indus Script Encodes Language, Reveals New Study Of Ancient Symbols [04/26/2009]
Rethinking silk's origins [02/18/2009]
[Tamil Nadu] 'TN inhabited by people dissimilar to Tamils in pre-historic times' [02/16/2009]
Archaeologists made new discoveries at Moenjodaro [02/05/2009]
Chandigarh was part of Harappan civilisation 5,000 years ago [11/14/2008]
From Indus Valley To Coastal Tamil Nadu [05/02/2008]
The Cradle That Is India [01/17/2008]
Ghost Cities Of 2100 [06/22/2007]
Dancing Girl From Mohenjo-Daro [05/10/2007]
Tales Cities Tell (Indus Valley) [04/20/2007]
Distributing Water (Ancient Indus Valley) [04/13/2007]
Interview [with Iravatham Mahadevan,] the Madras Indus scholar [03/31/2007]
Can the monkey god save Rama?s underwater bridge? [03/27/2007]
'Indus Valley Civilization Was More Varied And Wider' [03/06/2007]
German Indologist claims to have decoded Indus scripts [02/17/2007]
Harappan Period Cemetery Unearthed In Uttar Pradesh [01/04/2007]
Ancient Vishnu idol found in Russian town [01/04/2007]
'Farming in India began much earlier' [12/05/2006]
Death of the Aryan Invasion Theory [06/28/2006]
Indus cities dried up with monsoon [05/02/2006]
Significance of Mayiladuthurai find -- Links between Harappa and Neolithic Tamil Nadu [04/30/2006]
9,000-Year-Old Dental Drill Is Found [04/05/2006]
Ruins of Harrappan city found in Haryana [02/21/2006]
India Acquired Language, Not Genes, From West, Study Says [01/12/2006]
'Detectives' unearth secrets of the past (Dilmun seals inscribed with Indus Valley inscription) [06/24/2005]
A Civilisation Parallel To Harappa? Experts Wonder [12/13/2004]
FReeper Canteen ~ Part X of War in Ancient India ~ September 14, 2004 [09/13/2004]
Ahmad Hassan Dani (Indus Valley script) [08/12/2004]
India set to cut Hindu bias from history books [06/27/2004]
Excavations Reveal 7,000 Year-Old Harappan Sites [01/20/2004]
Aryans In India: Old Debate Triggers New Debate [11/11/2002]
Decoding DISCOVERY from the much-elusive Indus Valley script! [06/28/2002]
New Discoveries In Syria Confirm Theory On Spread Of Early Civilization [06/03/2002]
'Lost River' Could Rewrite History Books [02/21/2002]
Drowned Indian city could be world's oldest [01/18/2002]
Lost Civilisation From 7,500 BC Discovered Off Indian Coast [01/16/2002]
Scandinavian Ancestry -- Tracing Roots to Azerbaijan [12/15/2001]
Chronological History of Afghanistan [11/10/2001]

Date to circa 5th c BC.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient_constructions_of_Sri_Lanka