5,300 YRS AGO IRON AGE BEGAN ON TAMIL SOIL, SAYS CM, CITES SCIENTIFIC PROOF

CHIEF Minister M K Stalin on Thursday, based on the results of scientific dating of archaeological samples, declared that iron was used in the present Tamil-speaking region even in the mid-third to fourth millennia, thereby pushing the Iron Age period back by around two millennia.

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The results establish that iron was used in the region over 5,300 years ago, he said.

Releasing the report titled, 'Antiquity of Iron: Recent Radiometric Dates from Tamil Nadu' in Chennai, Stalin said he was making the remarkable anthropological announcement, not only to India but to the whole world, that the "Iron Age began on Tamil soil".

The results were based on samples from archaeological sites including Sivagalai in Thoothukudi, Adichanallur in Tirunelveli, Mayiladumparai in Krishnagiri sent to three renowned laboratories - Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeosciences, Lucknow; Physical Research Laboratory, Ahmedabad; and Beta Analytic, Florida, USA.

While the samples were sent to Indian labs for Optically Stimulated Luminescence (OSL) analysis, the samples were sent for radiometric analysis to Beta Analytic in Florida. Similar results have been received from all the three labs.