The report, titled ‘Excavations at Perumbalai 2022’ published by the Department of Archaeology, was released by Chief Minister M.K. Stalin.
Tamil-Brahmi Script
- The Brahmi script was the earliest script that the Tamils used.
- In the late ancient and early medieval period, they started evolving a new angular script, called the Grantha script, from which the modern Tamil is derived.
Graffiti
- The potsherds have scratches, termed graffiti.
- The potsherds are a broken fragment of pottery of different shapes and could not be pieced together
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- Report indicates the site’s lowest level dates back to the 6th Century BCE.
- Most of the excavated early historic sites such as Vallam, Kodumanal, Keeladi, Uraiyur, Karur and many other sites always found Tamili (Tamil-Brahmi)-inscribed potsherds and graffiti-bearing potsherds together.
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Key Findings
- Geometrical Signs On Graffiti: A total of 1,028 inscribed potsherds were recovered during the excavations.
- The most common graffiti marks are geometrical signs, particularly two oblique lines meeting a central vertical at the top.
- The other important marks are the star; U-shaped and T-shaped signs with two small vertical strokes hanging at either end of the horizontal strokes at regular intervals; bow and arrow; and ladder.
- Potteries
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- Demonstrate the proper chronological sequences of pottery assemblage.
Black and red ware culture (BRW)
- It is an early Iron Age archaeological culture of the northern Indian subcontinent.
- It is dated to roughly the 12th – 9th century BCE, and associated with the post-Rigvedic Vedic civilization.
- In some sites, BRW pottery is associated with Late Harappan pottery.
- BRW may have directly influenced the Painted Grey Ware and Northern Black Polished Ware cultures
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- The pottery occurring from the lower-most level is very thin and the fine BRW and black ware are the more dominating types
- Clay Used: clay used for making the potteries was fine and well-levigated clay.
- Swastik-like symbols were also collected: Interestingly, a fully shaped black-and-red ware bowl containing the swastik sign is exposed.
- These graffiti marks are confined to the Iron Age and early historic period
- Few more excavated objects
- It unearthed more than 200 terracotta objects representing human and bird figurines, beads, wheels, sling balls, spindle whorls, lamps and hopscotches.
- An unidentified copper coin and a copper bell containing an upper projection were also unearthed.
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Perumbalai
Perumbalai is located on the bank of the Nagavathi (ancient Palar), one of the tributaries of Cauvery river.
- Kongumandala Satakam, a 13th Century literary work by Karmegakavirayar of Vijayamangalam, referred to Perumbalai as the northern boundary of the Kongu region, comprising present-day Coimbatore, Erode, Tiruppur and parts of Dharmapuri and Salem districts.
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June 24, 2024
