Palaeolithic occupation of southern Tamil Nadu, India: New evidence from south of the river Kaveri

Abstract

Research on the prehistory of the terminal zone of South Asia (south of 13°N) has been limited to the areas around Chennai/Madras and the Pamban Coast, located, respectively in the northeastern and southeastern parts of the state of Tamil Nadu; a few areas of Kerala, and Sri Lanka. However, the southern part of Tamil Nadu has remained poorly investigated, except for the Upper Gundar Basin. Archaeological research conducted from 2006 to 2010 by the first author revealed a few Palaeolithic and several microlithic sites in southern part of Tamil Nadu. The authors jointly reinvestigated some of these sites in Thanjavur and Nagapattinam regions in order to understand the geological and cultural contexts of the sites and artefacts. Archaeological excavations at Pillayarpatti, one of the sites in Thanjavur region, undertaken in 2009 and 2010 revealed evidence for the Palaeolithic culture in a stratigraphic context. This paper presents a survey of the context and significance of the recent Palaeolithic finds from southern Tamil Nadu.