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Sivagalai finds push back the dating of iron in Tamil Nadu

· Sivagalai

Radiometric dates from Sivagalai in a state report pushed iron use in Tamil Nadu back to 3345 BCE, a claim that sparked broad debate.

Archaeologists K. Rajan and R. Sivanantham wrote 'Antiquity of Iron: Recent Radiometric Dates from Tamil Nadu', which the state government published in January 2025. Samples of charcoal and potsherds found with iron objects at Sivagalai, in Thoothukudi district, yielded dates ranging from about 2953 BCE to 3345 BCE. Such dates, if borne out, would place the site among the oldest known traces of iron technology anywhere, far earlier than the usual start date given for India's Iron Age. The state promoted the results widely, while scholars urged that they be checked further.

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