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Adichanallur

India · Tamil Nadu, Thoothukudi

NecropolisIntermittent excavation
Approximate period2,500 BCE — 200 BCEIron Age and Early Historic Period See on the map ↓

In brief

The site on the banks of the Tamirabarani is known for its extensive urn cemetery and metal finds. Excavations east of the cemetery have also revealed settlement remains and evidence of production activities.

What was found?

  • 1Burial urns containing human remains

    Human remains and small vessels were placed inside large terracotta vessels. These finds directly document the cemetery’s burial practices.

  • 2Gold forehead ornaments

    The forehead ornaments, made from thin gold sheets, have fastening holes and dotted decoration. They show how gold was used in burials.

  • 3Bronze lids with animal figures

    Some bronze lids have animal-shaped handles on top. Combining a vessel’s function with figurative decoration, these artifacts reveal the quality of the metalworking.

  • 4Iron weapons

    Iron weapons were found inside and around the urns; traces of wooden shafts were recorded on some examples. They show that iron held an important place among grave goods.

What does it point to?

The burial vessels, gold forehead ornaments and bronze artifacts show that the dead were laid to rest with different groups of objects. The presence of gold, bronze and iron together indicates that the community could work different metals.

What did it teach us?

  1. They documented the placement of human remains and small vessels together in the same burial urn.
  2. They showed that goldworking, bronze casting and iron use coexisted in the region.
  3. They also provided evidence of textile use through fabric impressions preserved on bronzes.

Images

Catalogue of the prehistoric antiquities from Adichanallur and Perumbair (page 83 crop)
Alexander Rea · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Latest news / selected archive

In 2020, the discovery of settlement remains east of the cemetery, including drainage pipes, inscribed pottery fragments and a lime kiln, was announced.

Record

Culture
South Indian urn burial tradition and early Tamil culture
First modern dig
1876
Team / historical
Archaeological Survey of India ve Tamil Nadu Eyaleti Arkeoloji Dairesi
Coordinates
8.6299°, 77.8764°

Sources

  1. govtmuseumchennai.org
  2. tamildigitallibrary.in
  3. newindianexpress.com
  4. Tamil Nadu Arkeoloji Dairesi — Temmuz 2020 kazı durum raporu

Nearby excavations


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12.000

From beneath the soil: latest discoveries

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    Arkeofili ↗
  • 5,000-year-old finds reveal connections between distant communities in Europe

    Comparisons of pottery, double-edged stone axes and collective graves revealed shared traditions across different regions of Europe. According to the researchers, the Rhine River did not form the sharp cultural boundary previously thought.

    HeritageDaily ↗
  • Examination results announced for five 1,500-year-old bronze vessels found in Germany

    CT scans and restoration work on a block of soil found near Schaalby revealed that it contained five bronze vessels, rather than three as initially thought. The cauldron, bowls and strainers, dated to the 3rd–5th centuries AD, form a rare assemblage of finds in the Baltic region.

    HeritageDaily ↗
  • Older stone monument found beneath Viking ship burial in Norway

    A cairn bordered by large stones was uncovered beneath the Viking ship burial at Grønhaug. According to researchers, the structure may be a Bronze Age burial monument; precise dating will show how much time passed before the site was reused.

    HeritageDaily ↗
  • Teotihuacan writing signs interpreted in cave paintings in Mexico

    A reexamination of known paintings in a cave near Chalcatzingo identified signs related to place names and warfare dating to the 4th–6th centuries AD. According to researchers, these suggest that ceremonies commemorating fallen warriors were held at this sacred site outside Teotihuacan.

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  • Antelope proteins found in a 60,000-year-old ochre layer in South Africa

    Proteins from an eland antelope were detected in an ochre-rich layer at Klipdrift rock shelter. According to the researchers, the finding could help investigate details of activities such as paint preparation or hide processing that left no visible traces; the function of the layer has not yet been established.

    Bergen Üniversitesi / ScienceNorway ↗
  • Monumental collective tombs in Spain found to have been used during the Bronze Age

    Radiocarbon dates for 16 people from two large stone tombs in the Trafalgar necropolis showed that the tombs were used between approximately 1875 and 1625 BC. The findings reveal that collective burial traditions continued later than previously thought in parts of the Iberian Peninsula; according to the researchers, the tombs may also have been built during this period.

    HeritageDaily ↗
  • Discrepancies found in the dates of six medieval skeletons in Denmark

    Researchers who reexamined the remains of 27 people from monastery cemeteries found that the radiocarbon dates of six did not match their burial contexts. According to the researchers, old carbon consumed through freshwater fish can make bones appear hundreds of years older, distorting chronologies of the past.

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