In a modest university lab in Tamil Nadu, researchers are meticulously working on a 2,500-year-old tooth using a tiny drill to scrape away enamel. The tooth belongs to one of two human skulls that scientists at Madurai Kamaraj University are using to digitally reconstruct faces. The goal is to understand what the region’s early inhabitants might have looked like.
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Discoveries at Kondagai and Keeladi
Both skulls, belonging to men, were excavated from Kondagai, an ancient burial site about 4 km from Keeladi—an archaeological location that has become a political and historical focal point in India.
Archaeologists in Tamil Nadu suggest that Keeladi was home to an urban civilization dating back to 580 BC. This discovery challenges the traditional narrative that early urbanization in India was confined to the north, as seen in the Indus Valley Civilization, which emerged over 5,000 years ago.
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Life in Ancient Keeladi
The findings indicate that the people of Keeladi were:
- Literate and highly skilled
- Engaged in trade across the subcontinent and abroad
- Living in brick houses
- Practicing burial rituals where the deceased were interred with daily necessities like food grains and pots in massive urns
So far, archaeologists have excavated around 50 burial urns from Kondagai, offering a rare glimpse into the daily lives, skills, and cultural practices of this ancient civilization.
A New Chapter in Southern Indian History
The facial reconstructions from the skulls provide a tangible connection to the people who once inhabited the region. These discoveries highlight that southern India had its own independent urban civilization, contributing significantly to the understanding of the Indian subcontinent’s early history.