Ancient Tamil Nadu's trade relations with Rome: new evidence unearthed

In a recent excavation in the nondescript village of Vadakkupattu, on the outskirts of Chennai, archeologists unearthed four artifacts from four different time periods in the same pit.

In a historical breakthrough, 12,000-year-old Mesolithic artifacts were unearthed just 75 centimeters below the surface of the site.

The Stone Age artifacts excavated from the site includes scrappers, cleavers, choppers, hand axes, and stone fragments.

Archeologists believe that ancient people used this spot for making stone tools for hunting purposes.

At the upper layer of the same pit 2,000-year-old artifacts such as ceramics, Roman amphora shards, and golden ornaments were found, among others, which hint at trade relations of this area with Rome.

Besides the Teri sites at Tirunelveli and Thoothukudi districts, Vadakkupattu is the only place in Tamil Nadu where Mesolithic era artifacts have been collected, a senior archaeologist told The Times of India.

In addition to the work done by the ASI, the Tamil Nadu government, earlier this year, flagged off National Institute of Ocean Technology's research vessel, Sagar Tara, from Tuticorin port.

The purpose of the research vessel is to find more evidence like shipwrecks and anchors which will help archeologists know more about past civilizations and their relations with other nations.