Keezhadi | |
|---|---|
Village | |
.jpg) Archaeological site | |
  Keezhadi Location in Tamil Nadu, India  Keezhadi Keezhadi (Tamil Nadu) | |
| Coordinates: 9°51′47″N 78°10′56″E / 9.8630727°N 78.1820931°E | |
| Country | India |
| State | Tamil Nadu |
| District | Sivagangai |
| Region | Madurai |
| Government | |
| • Body | Panchayat |
| • President | V Venkatasubramanian |
| Elevation | 123 m (404 ft) |
| Population (2011) | |
• Total | 5,140 |
| Time zone | UTC+5:30 (IST) |
| PIN | 630611 |
| Telephone code | 04574 |
| Assembly constituency | Manamadurai |
| Lok Sabha constituency | Sivagangai |
Keezhadi, also spelt Keeladi, is a village near the village of Silaiman, on the border between Madurai and Sivagangai districts, in Tamil Nadu, India. The Keezhadi excavation site is located in this area: excavations carried out by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) and the Tamil Nadu Archaeology Department (TNAD) have revealed a Sangam era settlement dated to the 6th century BCE by radiocarbon dating.[1] Claims that the results show that there was writing at that time have been challenged. It is not clear whether the potsherds containing inscriptions were found in the same archaeological layer as the 6th century samples, and University of Calcutta archaeologist Bishnupriya Basak said that "This unfortunately is not clear from the report and is very crucial", adding that the issues of "layer, period and absolute dates" needed clarity. Dravidian University archaeologist E. Harsha Vardhan said that a single report was not enough to "state scientifically that the Tamil-Brahmi script belongs to the sixth century BC".[2]
- ^ Dennis S. Jesudasan (20 September 2019). "Keezhadi excavations: Sangam era older than previously thought, finds study". The Hindu.
- ^ Charuch, Sukanya (17 October 2019). "Experts Question Dates of Script in Tamil Nadu's Keeladi Excavation Report". The Wire Science. The Wire (India). Retrieved 12 April 2020.