The Palm Leaf

In 2004, there was a spectacular archaeological discovery in Adichanallur, near Tirunelveli when 2800 years old human skeletons were found in urns. These urns also contained writing resembing early Tamil Brahmi. Later a three-tier burrial system was discovered in which earlier generations were burried in urns at 10 ft depth and recent ones above them. Soon the habitational site of the people who were burried was also discovered.

Analyzing the habitational site, it was understood that people lived in a fortified town and it had a separate potters quarters. There was also evidence of industrial activity and archaeologists think that it was a crowded busy town. The analysis of these skeletons have revealed some new facts.

1. These people were tall, contradicting an earlier hypothesis that pre-historic Indians were short


2. People consumed refined food, though there is no description of what constitutes refined food


3. They had Southern Mongoloid features indicating sea trade between east coast of India and south east Asia in 800 B.C.