Keezhadi excavation: Archaeologist refuses ASI's directive to revise dating report

A defiant archaeologist who led the excavation at the ancient site of Keezhadi near Madurai in southern Tamil Nadu has stood by his report, refusing to rewrite it as directed by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).

- STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE

The ASI had raised doubts about the dating of the artefacts, which suggest that the antiquity of Tamil script and urban culture could date back to the 8th to 5th century BCE.

It was Amarnath Ramakrishna who had led the excavation at Keezhadi which revealed a well-developed urban culture and script. His report, submitted on January 2023, was based on the results obtained from tests through Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (AMS). The Tamil Nadu government had published the findings in a book under the title - "Keezhadi: Lap of Mother Tamil".