Archaeologists working at Keeladi, a historic excavation sitelocated 12 km southeast of Madurai in Tamil Nadu, have unearthed a crystal quartz weighing unit from the Sangam era. The weighing unit, found 175 cm beneath the ground, is the first of its kind since excavations began in Keeladi in 2014.
Unique in design, the crystal unit has a somewhat spherical shape.
An official statement from the state archaeology department said that the unit measures 2 cm in diameter,1.5 cm in height and weighs a mere 8 grams. In addition, archaeologists also found a terracotta hopscotch, an iron nail, black and red ware, and red slipped ware. Archaeologists also found an earthen snake figurine.
This discovery has stirred excitement among historians and archaeologists as weighing units in the past were primarily made of stones. Even as a detailed assessment on the findings is underway, an expert said they do not know the precise unit that the crystal was used to weigh.
Express Research | Proximity to Madurai put Keeladi on archaeological map, the findings there took village to centre of Tamil consciousness“We can confirm that they were used for weighing purposes. Though we found stone-made weighing units earlier, these were not rock-made but made of minerals. These weighting units were not used for paddy or vegetables but for weighing high-value items such as gold, precious and semi-precious stones. Crystals or mineral materials are used as weighing units because they give accurate results and do not depend on the climate,” said an expert with the state archaeological department.
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Keeladi is currently witnessing the ninth phase of excavations launched by Chief Minister MK Stalin last April. Ongoing archaeological excavations in Keeladi and a few other sites in Tamil Nadu have extended the timeline of the Sangam Era from 300 BCE to 600 BCE.
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Multiple excavations in Tamil Nadu sites initiated by the state archeology department have gained political significance in the light of long-running claims and disputes over Tamil civilisation or Dravidian legacy.
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