Ingots found throws light on life of Megalithic people

A team of archeologists has come across hundreds of iron ingots in a coastal village in southern Kerala, throwing light on the life of the Megalithic people in the south-west coast of India.
Archeologists said the heavy ingots, each weighing around 10 kg, were found at several places on the laterite surface along with slag during their study at Umayanallur in Mayyanad area of Kollam district.
The team comprises Dr P Rajendran, an archaeologist and a former UGC scientist, former history professor Raju and anthropologist Padmakumar.
They said the local people had used many of the ingots thinking they were mere stones for the compound walls and also to fill in the building foundations in the region.

"Evidences have been noted at different places indicating the utilization of different types of laterite as the iron ore source by the Megalithic people. Extraction of iron from the laterite reflects the metallurgical knowledge of the Megalithic people," Rajendran said.
Iron ingots and slag were discovered two decades back by Rajendran from Abhayagiri near Kulathupuzha in Kollam district and also from Bharathnnur near Palode in Trivandrum district.

Rajendran said such evidences were reported from various places in the midlands region of Kerala where different types of laterite exist.
On analysis the presence of almost 70 per cent of iron has been found in the ingots while the slag retains less than five per cent.

"It is certain that such ingots were again re-smelted by the Megalithic people in order to prepare different types of iron implements during the Iron Age," he said.
Megalithic culture in Kerala had its beginnings around 1000 BC while in Karnataka it has an antiquity of 1400 BC.
"Several absolute dates obtained from different sites in Kerala by me well substantiate the cultural continuity and its remnants still exist among primitive tribes in the interior forests of Kerala," Rajendran said.