Why in the News?

Tamil Nadu CM recently proclaimed that the Iron Age began on Tamil soil over 5,300 years ago (4th millennium BCE), based on findings from Mayiladumparai, Sivagalai, Adichanallur, and Kilnamandi.

Iron Age in India

• The Iron Age in India was initially thought to have begun around 700-600 BCE.
• Radiocarbon dating pushed the timeline back to 1800 BCE, with evidence of iron smelting found in Central Ganga Plain and Eastern Vindhyas.
• Recent discoveries in Tamil Nadu suggest that iron metallurgy was established in South India as early as 3300 BCE.

Notable Iron Age Sites in India:

1. Central and Northern India

• Raja Nala-ka-tila (UP): Iron tools and slag found in pre-NBP (Northern Black Polished) deposits (1400–800 BCE).
• Malhar (Chandauli, UP): Furnaces and iron slag indicate a major iron metallurgy center (1200 BCE).
• Dadupur (UP): Large-scale iron smelting evidence dating back to 1000 BCE.
• Hastinapur (UP): Iron tools associated with the Painted Grey Ware (PGW) culture (1000 BCE).
• Takshashila (Punjab, Pakistan): Iron tools found in Gandhara settlements (800 BCE).

2. Western and Central India

• Ahar (Rajasthan): Chalcolithic culture (2500–1700 BCE) showed early evidence of iron artifacts.
• Naikund (Vidarbha, Maharashtra): Discovery of an iron smelting furnace (1000 BCE).
• Mahurjhari (Nagpur, Maharashtra): Horse ornaments made of copper with iron knobs (800 BCE).

3. South India

• Paiyampalli (Tamil Nadu): Large-scale iron smelting and slag deposits (1200 BCE).
• Adichanallur (Tamil Nadu): Iron tools and burial urns linked to Megalithic culture (1000 BCE).
• Mayiladumparai (Tamil Nadu): Recent findings date iron usage to 3300 BCE, making it one of the oldest sites of iron metallurgy in India.
• Sivagalai (Tamil Nadu): Iron artifacts and slag deposits, indicating early smelting practices (1100 BCE).

Iron Age in Tamil Nadu: New Discoveries

• Earlier studies in Mayiladumparai Excavation (2022) suggested that the Iron Age began 4,200 years ago (3rd millennium BCE).
• This timeline coincides with the Copper/Bronze Age in North India, indicating a technological divergence between the regions.
• The latest State Archaeology Department’s report, “Antiquity of Iron: Recent Radiometric Dates from Tamil Nadu”, confirms that Iron smelting began as early as 3,345 BCE – 2,953 BCE.
• Limited availability of copper ores in South India might have led to the early adoption of iron technology.
• Excavations in Sivagalai, Adichanallur, Kilnamandi, and Mayiladumparai indicate that the Iron Age in Tamil Nadu predates much of North India.

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