[INDOLOGY] The young guns of archaeology: Meet the team unearthing Tamil Nadu's past

[Tieken, H.J.H. (Herman)]

As a scholar (admittedly my scholarship in this matter is heavily disputed) who dates Tamil Caṅkam poetry not earlier than the post-Pallava Pāṇṭiyas I am naturally interested to see what archeologists make of Tamilnadu in the early pre-Pallava period. Unfortunately, all the information I have access to is formed by press releases of the type kindly provided by Palaniappan to this list. However, I don't know what to make of it. For instance, on the basis of Keeladi iron would have been introduced in Tamilnadu between 2953 and 3345 BC, but furtheron the material from that site is said to date back "more than 2000 years". How many more years? Earlier reports posted by Palaniappan on this list were about criticism of the dating of the archeological sites, but as coming from North India the arguments were treated as enemy fire.

However, what I am for personal reasons in particular interested in is the claim in the introduction of the report that the excavations reflect a literate (sic) Tamil. civilisation, in which I read an argument to stick to the date of Caṅkam poetry between the 3rd c. BC and the 3rd c. AD. How is "literate" defined here?

Herman


Herman Tieken
's-Herenstraat 66
3155 SL Maasland
The Netherlands
00 31 (0)10 7617502
00 (0)6 14652798
website: hermantieken.com<http://hermantieken.com/>

The Aśoka Inscriptions: Analysing a corpus, New Delhi: Primus Books, 2023.
https://primusbooks.com/ancient/the-asoka-inscriptions-analysing-a-corpus-by-herman-tieken/



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________________________________
Van: INDOLOGY <indology-bounces at list.indology.info> namens Sudalaimuthu Palaniappan via INDOLOGY <indology at list.indology.info>
Verzonden: maandag 29 december 2025 07:39
Aan: indology list <indology at list.indology.info>
Onderwerp: [INDOLOGY] The young guns of archaeology: Meet the team unearthing Tamil Nadu's past


Some Indologists may find this article interesting.



https://www.theweek.in/theweek/specials/2025/12/27/the-young-guns-of-archaeology-meet-the-team-unearthing-tamil-nadus-past.html



Regards,

Palaniappan
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