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The report, titled “Antiquity of Iron: Recent Radiometric Dates from Tamil Nadu,” was authored by K. Rajan and R. Sivanantham and released by Tamil Nadu CM M.K. Stalin.
Carbon dating was used on samples from the Sivagalai site in Thoothukudi district.
The dating was conducted using methods like Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (AMS) and Optically Stimulated Luminescence (OSL), with results from labs in the USA, India, and abroad.
The discovery suggests iron was used in Tamil Nadu as early as 3345 BCE, making it one of the earliest known uses of iron in the world.
The discovery shows the people of Tamil Nadu had mastered advanced iron-smelting technology, which requires temperatures between 1,200 and 1,400 degrees Celsius, over 5,300 years ago.
Iron was crucial for tools, agriculture, trade, and state formation.
The report suggests that while northern India was in the Copper Age, southern India, particularly Tamil Nadu, was entering the Iron Age.
Earlier excavations at various sites, such as Adichanallur and Mayiladumparai, also indicated iron’s use between 2500 BCE and 3000 BCE, reinforcing the region’s early mastery of iron.
The Tamil Nadu government announced the foundation of new museums at Keeladi and Gangaikondacholapuram to preserve and showcase this important historical heritage.
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