Siruthavoor : an Iron Age-early historical burial site, Tamil Nadu, South India

Archaeological artifacts such as stone tools, ceramics, coins, metal implements, and ornaments like beads, are generally used to evaluate and understand the history of humans. These artifacts are especially important for the study of periods that lack concrete literary evidence. Intangible aspects such as spiritual beliefs and ceremonies, as well as tangible but perishable objects, are lost in the passage of time but artifacts are more likely to survive the vicissitudes of time. Pollen analysis, plant ecology and not least prehistoric archaeology have contributed to the recognition of the transitional zone between uncontaminated nature and what eventually became known as a cultural landscape. Cultural landscapes are looked upon not only as products of human intervention, but also and in particular as the result of human desire to leave an imprint of control and power, often associated with territoriality and religious or political ambitions. Megalithic burials, which are found in vast numbers in southern and central India, are a well-known global phenomenon and their builders have left behind a landscape altered by their funereal remains. This study aims at using and understanding man-land relationships in order to better comprehend the megalithic burials of Tamil Nadu. Funereal remains are one of the most important lingering means of understanding society, customs and religion of pre and proto historic periods. Many questions remain unanswered for the Iron Age of south India, and the megalithic burials are an important piece of this puzzle. This site specific study helps us better understand some aspects such as spatial distribution, chronology and post depositional changes of the burials at Siruthavoor. Table of Contents Preface Chapter 1 Introduction Chapter 2 Siruthavoor: An Iron Age-Early Historic site Chapter 3 Methodology Chapter 4 Exploration and Excavation at Siruthavoor Chapter 5 Results Chapter 6 Discussion and Conclusion Cover Title Page Copyright Page Contents List of Figures List of Tables Acknowledgment Preface Chapter 1Introduction 1.1 Why study the megaliths in south India 1.2 USING THE TERM: ‘MEGALITHIC’ 1.3 CHRONOLOGY AND DISTRIBUTION OF MEGALITHIC BURIALS AROUND THE WORLD 1.4 THE IRON AGE-EARLY HISTORIC OR ‘MEGALITHIC’ BURIALS OF INDIA 1.5 THE SANGAM LITERATURE AND IA-EH BURIALS 1.6 SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC STRUCTURE OF THE IRON AGE-EARLY HISTORICAL PERIOD BASED ON LITERARY SOURCES AND THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL EVIDENCE 1.7 ARCHAEOLOGICAL EVIDENCE FROM EXCAVATED SITES 1.8 CHRONOLOGY OF TAMIL NADU IA-EH BURIALS 1.9 TYPOLOGY OF THE BURIALS 1.10 PREVIOUS CLASSIFICATIONS OF IA-EH BURIALS 1.11 THE IA-EH SITE-SIRUTHAVOOR Figure 1.2 Map showing excavated sites in Tamil Nadu (map prepared by Kelly G and Haricharan S. 2010). Table 1.1 Correlation between sites and type of burial of coastal sites in Tamil Nadu Table 1.2 Correlation between site and artifact excavated of coastal sites in Tamil Nadu Table 1.3 Correlations between sites and type of burial of inland sites in Tamil Nadu Table 1.4 Dates from Previously Excavated IA-EH Sites Table 1.5 Classification of burials put forward by several archaeologists Chapter 2 Siruthavoor: An Iron Age-Early Historic site 2.1 INTRODUCTION 2.2 GEOMORPHOLOGY 2.3 GEOLOGY 2.4 Soil Types 2.5 CLIMATE AND RAINFALL 2.6 VEGETATION 2.7 The IA-EH BURIALS of Siruthavoor Figure 2.1 The study area: Siruthavoor Figure 2.2 Study area showing 1. encroachment, 2. dolmen with circle and 3. Siruthavoor Lake Figure 2.3 Exposed Statigraphic sections at Siruthavoor Table 2.1 Stratigraphy of the Siruthavoor site Table 2.2 Major plant varieties found around Chennai Figure 2.4 Large areas of the site destroyed due to natural and anthropogenic activities Table 2.3 Some varieties of Acacia found growing around Chennai Chapter 3Methodology 3.1 INTRODUCTION 3.2 EXPLORATION AND EXCAVATION 3.3 CLASSIFICATION AND MAPPING OF DIFFERENT BURIAL TYPES 3.4 EXCAVATION 3.5 OSL DATING SAMPLES 3.6 TEXTURAL ANALYSIS 3.7 MICROMORPHOLOGY OF POTTERY 3.8 GEOCHEMISTRY 3.8.1 Major Oxide 3.8.1.1 CIA 3.8.2 REE Analysis 3.9 FLOTATION Figure 3.1 Flow chart showing the different methodologies adopted for understanding the formation of the site Chapter 4 Exploration and Excavation at Siruthavoor 4.1 INTRODUCTION 4.2 EXPLORATION OF IA-EH BURIAL SITES AROUND SIRUTHAVOOR 4.3 SPATIAL PATTERN OF BURIALS AT SIRUTHAVOOR 4.3.1 Cairn Circle 4.3.2 Dolmen 4.3.3 Dolmenoid Cist 4.3.4 Cist 4.3.5 Urn Burials 4.4 LITHOSECTION 4.5 EXCAVATION 4.5.1 Excavation of Burial 1 (Cairn Circle) 4.5.2 Excavation of Burial 2 (Sarcophagus) 4.5.4 Excavation of Burial 4 (Dolmen) 4.5.5 Excavation of Burial 5 (Dolmen with circle) 4.5.6 Excavation of Burial 6 (Dolmenoid Cist) 4.5.7 Excavation of Burial 7 (Urn with Capstone) 4.5.8 Excavation of Burial 8 (Urn) Figure 4.1 Study area Siruthavoor and other IA-EH sites around Siruthavoor Figure 4.2 Site Sirukunram: Cairn Circle Figure 4.3 Dolmen with curved cairn circle stones at Siruthavoor Figure 4.4 Dolmen with curved cairn circle stones at Amur Figure 4.5 Dolmen very low in Siruthavoor with 2 large slabs as capstone Figure 4.6 Dolmen very low in Amur with 2 large slabs as capstone Figure 4.7 Dolmen at Amur with anti-chamber and large flat boulder as capstone Table 4.1. Individual type of burial and their number Figure 4.10 Capstone at Amur showing signs of being shaped Figure 4.11 Capstone from Siruthavoor with a line of holes probably for cutting or shaping of stone Figure 4.8 Dolmen at Siruthavoor with anti-chamber and large flat boulder as capstone Figure 4.9 Gnranatic Gneiss and Charnokite used for IA-EH burials at Siruthavoor Figure 4.12 Map of Siruthavoor showing all the burial types including cairn circle, dolmen, cist, dolmen with circle, cist with circle and dolmenoid cist Figure 4.13 Over all map of Siruthavoor (close up) showing the spatial outlay of all IA-EH burials at Siruthavoor Figure 4.14 Spatial outlay cist and cist with circle type burial at Siruthavoor Figure 4.15 Spatial outlay of dolmen and dolmen with circle type burials at Siruthavoor Figure 4.16 Spatial outlay of cist with circle and dolmen with circle type burials at Siruthavoor Figure 4.17 Spatial outlay of dolmen, cist and dolmenoid cist type of burials at Siruthavoor Figure 4.18 Spatial outlay of cairn circle type burials at Siruthavoor Figure 4.19 Spatial outlay of cist type burials at Siruthavoor Figure 4.20 Spatial outlay cist with circle type burials at Siruthavoor Figure 4.21 Spatial outlay of dolmen with circle type burials at Siruthavoor Figure 4.22 Spatial outlay of dolmen type burial at Siruthavoor Figure 4.23 cairn circle with lateritic blocks outside circle Figure 4.24 Cairn circle around hillock showing overlap of burials Figure 4.25 Dolmen with low/flush capstone Figure 4.26 Dolmen with circle, dolmen has five stones supporting the capstone and is circular shaped Figure 4.27 Low dolmen with long slabs as capstone Figure 4.28 Dolmen with long boulder shaped stones Figure 4.29 Dolmen with outcrop, and open on two sides Figure 4.30 Dolmen with symbolic features and outcrop used as part of a dolmen Figure 4.31 Dolmenoid cist showing swastika pattern and roughly shaped stones Figure 4.32 Dolmenoid cist with swastika pattern at Amur Figure 4.33 Cist burial situated northwest of Siruthavoor Lake with swastika pattern clearly visible on the surface Figure 4.34 Cist burial with one orthostat higher above ground than rest Figure 4.35 Exposed section showing cist burial Figure 4.36 exposed section of cist burial with sarcophagus and urn seen Figure 4.37 Iron implements found near disturbed cist burials during exploration Figure 4.38 Map showing distribution of lithosection at Sairuthavoor Figure 4.39 Graph of lithosections 1-5 Figure 4.40 Image showing lithosections 1-5 at Siruthavoor Figure 4.41 Distribution of excavated burials and lithosection at Siruthavoor Figure 4.42 Plan of Burial 1 at Siruthavoor, situated close to the lake, having an extra stone inside the cairn circle in the east Figure 4.43 Statigraphy of burial 1 eastern section Figure 4.44 Southwestern quadrant with coarse Red Ware pottery Figure 4.45 Western quadrant showing sarcophagus Figure 4.46 Burial 1 after excavation of eastern and western quadrants showing stone assemblage in the centre Figure 4.47 Burial 2:Exposed sarcophagus with remnants of lid Figure 4.48 Iron implements and beads from excavated burials at Siruthavoor Figure 4.49 Burial 3: Cist type burial with fourth orthostat disturbed Figure 4.50 Outside cist, cairn packing on eastern and south eastern areas Figure 4.51 Slab on top of cist with cairn packing on top with slab in eastern side Figure 4.52 Cist with pottery Figure 4.53 Iron implements from burial 3, sword like object and 2 large iron slabs found near sarcophagus inside cist Figure 4.54 Sarcophagus, large iron implements and Red Ware stand Figure 4.56 Sarcophagus of cist with stone below legs to balance the structure Figure 4.57 sarcophagus from cist with associated grave goods Figure 4.58 Burial 4: dolmen associated with outcrop, next to smaller hillock Figure 4.59 Burial 4 showing association with outcrop Figure 4.60 Burial 5: Dolmen in pentagon/circular shape with two triangular stones in the east Figure 4.61 Burial 5 with stone packing between boulders below captsone Figure 4.62 Gold ring from burial 5 Figure 4.63 Sarcophagi A, B and C within burial 5 with remains of lid on top Figure 4.64 Bedrocks on which sarcophagi were kept in burial 5 Figure 4.65 Dolmenoid cist type burial, burial 6 Figure 4.68 Burial 7, urn with capstone Figure 4.69 Urn with inverted lid on top burial 8 Chapter 5Results 5.1 LABORATORY ANALYSIS OF SEDIMENTS AND POTTERY FROM SIRUTHAVOOR 5.2 TEXTURAL ANALYSIS 5.2.1 Trilinear Diagram of Sand, Silt and Clay Percentages 5.2.2 Sieve Analyses 5.3 GEOCHEMICAL ANALYSIS OF SEDIMENT SAMPLES FROM SIRUTHAVOOR 5.3.1 Major Element Analysis of Sediment Samples from Siruthavoor 5.3.2 Trace metal data of sediment samples from Siruthavoor 5.4 OSL DATING OF POTTERY SAMPLES FROM EXCAVATED BURIALS 5.5 ANALYSIS OF POTTERY AT SIRUTHAVOOR 5.5.1 REE Data 5.5.2 Preliminary Examination of Potsherd Thin Sections from Siruthavoor Megalithic Burial Site 5.5.3 Megascopic Observations 5.5.4 Microscopic Studies 5.5.4.1 Rock fragment and sand temper 5.5.4.2 Iron oxide mineralogy in the clays 5.5.5 Description of the thin Section 5.5.6 Discussion of pottery thin section Table 5.1 Textural analysis of burial 1 Table 5.2 Textural Analysis of Burial 2 Table 5.3 Textural Analysis of Burial 3 Table 5.4 Textural analysis of burials 4, 5, 7 and 8 Table 5.5 Textural analysis of lithosection 1 Figure 5.1 Trilinear diagram of sediments from burial 1 Figure 5.2 Trilinear diagram of sediments from burial 2 Figure 5.3 Trilinear diagram of sediments from burial 3 Figure 5.4 Trilinear diagram of sediments from burial’s 4,5,7 and 8 Figure 5.5 Trilinear diagram of sediments from lithosection 1 Table 5.6 Statistically analyzed sieving data of Burial 1 Table 5.7 Statistically analyzed sieving data of Burial 2 Table 5.8 Statistically analyzed sieving data of Burial 3 Table 5.9 Statistically analyzed sieving data of Burial’s 4, 5,7 and 8 Table 5.10 Statistically analyzed sieving data of Lithosection 1 1 Table 5.12 Major elemental data of Burial 2 Table 5.14 Major elemental data of burial 4,5, 7 and 8 Table 5.15 Major elemental data of lithosection 1 Table 5.16 Major elemental and CIA data of burial 1 Table 5.17 Major elemental and CIA data of burial 2 Table 5.18 Major elemental and CIA data of burial 3 Table 5.19 Major elemental and CIA data of burial 4, 5, 7 and 8 Figure 5.6 The figure represents depth (cm) versus ratios Al203 /FeO, Si/Al and LOI, CIA, SiO2, Al203 indicating geochemical break between 70-80 cm Table 5.20 Major elemental and CIA data of lithosection 1 Table 5.21 Trace metal data of sediment samples of burial 1 Table 5.22 Trace metal data of sediment samples of burial 2 Table 5.23 Trace metal data of sediment samples of burial 3 Table 5.24 Trace metal data of sediment samples of burial 4, 5, 7 and 8 Table 5.25 Trace metal data of sediment samples of lithosection 1 Table 5.26 OSL dates of pottery Figure 5.7 Ni versus Cr values of burial sediments and lithosection 1 indicate local source and post Archaean origin Figure 5.8 Red Ware stand from Burial 3 with graffiti mark at the base Figure 5.10 Pottery from Burial 3 showing graffiti marks Figure 5.9 Black and Red Ware cup from burial 7 Figure 5.11 REE data normalized using PASS values of clay samples from Siruthavoor and a potter from Chennai Table 5.27 REE data normalized using PAAS values of clay samples from Siruthavoor and a present day potter from Chennai Table 5.28 REE data normalized using PASS values of pottery samples from burials 1, 5, 7 and 8 Figure 5.12 REE data normalized using PASS values of pottery samples from burials 1, 5, 7 and 8 Figure 5.13 Shapes of Various pottery pieces from Siruthavoor excavation Figure 5.14 (a-d) Photomicrographs of the potsherd thin sections Figure 5.14 (e-j) Photomicrographs of the potsherd thin sections Figure 5.14 (k-l) Photomicrographs of the potsherd thin sections Chapter 6Discussion and Conclusion 6.1 INTRODUCTION 6.2 CHRONOLOGY 6.3 EXCAVATION AND EXPLORATION 6.3.1 Spatial Analysis of IA-EH Burials 6.3.2 Spatial Analysis of IA-EH Burials at Siruthavoor 6.3.3 Analysis of Data from Excavation at Siruthavoor 6.4 SEDIMENT ANALYSIS OF BURIALS AND LITHOSECTION AT SIRUTHAVOOR 6.4.1 Textural Analysis of Burials and Lithosection at Siruthavoor 6.4.2 GEOCHEMICAL ANALYSIS OF BURIAL AND LITHOSECTION 1 SEDIMENTS 6.5 CONCLUSIONS Table 6.1 Dates from excavated burial pottery Figure 6.1 Plan of IA-EH burials at Ramalai, in Upper Palar region (after Darshana 1997) Figure 6.2 Plan of IA-EH burials at Kargur, in Upper Palar region (after Darshana 1997) Figure 6.3 Plan of IA-EH burials at Pogalur, in Upper Palar region (after Darshana 1997) Figure 6.4 Plan of IA-EH burials at Poongulam, in Upper Palar region (after Darshana 1997) Figure 6.5 Plan of IA-EH burials of Kodumanal (after Rajan 1997) Figure 6.6 Plan of Brahmagiri, with Area A,B and C marked and spatially separated from each other (after Wheeler 1948) Figure 6.7 Plan of Area’s B and C of Brahmagiri (after Wheeler 1948) Figure 6.8 Different types of dolmen from Siruthavoor, using long dressed and undressed slabs Figure 6.9 Different cairn circle burials at Siruthavoor located in different areas of the site References Back cover Megaliths, often groupings of large stones and not just single stones, have attracted both the imagination of people and the attention of archaeologists for centuries. In India, particularly in southern and western regions, megaliths, characterised by the presence of burials, became integral to understanding our past, as in other parts of the world. Decades of archaeological research across the vast landscapes of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Tamilnadu, Kerala and Maharashtra have explored, documented, described and excavated these burials. However there is little similarity across the different studies in terms of documentation, usage of terminology, identification of physical parameters and the temporality of their occurrence. This book explores a megalithic or Iron Age–Early Historic burial site, namely Siruthavoor, located close to Chennai, India. Analysing information gained from exploration and excavation of the site, it details the material culture of the people of the area. Further, the book uses geoarchaeological methods to interpret the changing landscape and draws from both historical and current understanding of the terminologies used to evaluate the megalithic burials and the differences between them. These burials have been generally associated with the Iron Age–Early Historic time scale but this excavation and the dating it provided gave evidence of a more recent date of 300 BCE–600 CE. This book, gives an in-depth analysis of one particular site and a methodological framework which may be applied to a wider context. Smriti Haricharan is an archaeologist, working on Iron Age–Early Historic (IA-EH) landscapes in southern India, particularly examining burials of that period. Her research focuses on both the spatial and temporal patterns of megalithic ‘IA-EH’ burials and the relation with material culture and technological knowledge of the period. Smriti is an assistant professor at the Department of History, Shiv Nadar University, India. She graduated with a Masters in Archaeology from Madras University, a Masters in Experimental Archaeology from University of Exeter, and a PhD from Anna University, Chennai, India. Her post-doctoral research at National Institute of Advanced Studies, Bangalore, examined diverse questions in archaeology and heritage studies from the relationship between megalithic burials and metallurgy sites in Telangana to understanding heritage protection within the urban spaces. She was a Fulbright-Nehru postdoctoral fellow at the University of Chicago. She has published in World Archaeology, Antiquity among several other journals. This monograph emerged from her doctoral dissertation on exploration and excavation of IA-EH burials in northern Tamilnadu, India. Megaliths,Tamil Nadu,India,Survey,Stones,Burials,Excavation Archaeological artifacts such as stone tools, ceramics, coins, metal implements, and ornaments like beads, are generally used to evaluate and understand the history of humans. These artifacts are especially important for the study of periods that lack concrete literary evidence. Intangible aspects such as spiritual beliefs and ceremonies, as well as tangible but perishable objects, are lost in the passage of time but artifacts are more likely to survive the vicissitudes of time. Pollen analysis, plant ecology and not least prehistoric archaeology have contributed to the recognition of the transitional zone between uncontaminated nature and what eventually became known as a cultural landscape. Cultural landscapes are looked upon not only as products of human intervention, but also and in particular as the result of human desire to leave an imprint of control and power, often associated with territoriality and religious or political ambitions. Megalithic burials, which are found in vast numbers in southern and central India, are a well-known global phenomenon and their builders have left behind a landscape altered by their funereal remains.0This study aims at using and understanding man-land relationships in order to better comprehend the megalithic burials of Tamil Nadu. Funereal remains are one of the most important lingering means of understanding society, customs and religion of pre and proto historic periods. Many questions remain unanswered for the Iron Age of south India, and the megalithic burials are an important piece of this puzzle. This site specific study helps us better understand some aspects such as spatial distribution, chronology and post depositional changes of the burials at Siruthavoor