Days before the Phase-3 of the Keezhadi excavation is to be completed, Superintending Archaelogist PS Sriraman claims that the excavation site did not have any significant discoveries this season. However, other archaeologists have varied opinions on this issue.
Addressing the media on Sunday, PS Sriraman, Excavations Branch (Bengaluru), Archaeological Survey of India, said that there was no connection between Keezhadi and the Indus Valley Civilization. He said that the artefacts which were collected from the site cannot prove that traders were living in that area. He added that it was too early to reach any such conclusion, reported The New Indian Express.
Speaking about the work this season and responding to PS Sriraman, Su Venkadesan, writer and Sahitya Akademi Award winner said that in the last few seasons, the archaeologists had found factory-like set up towards the south of the site. However, in this season, instead of working towards south they had worked towards north. He added that they should have dug more trenches in several places instead of digging ten trenches in a single place.
Archaeologist Santhalingam told TNIE believes that it might be a beads factory. He said that cups were also found which might be used to keep the beads. He also stated that the results of the carbon dating of charcoal excavated from Keezhadi showed that the settlement belonged to 200 BC but he said that it might not be related to Indus Valley Civilization.
The phase-3 of the excavation will be completed on September 30, 2017. About 1800 artefacts were found in the third phase of Keezhadi excavation in which 1500 were glass beads and others were beads made of marble, jade and earthenware, reported The Times of India. They had also found a partial portion of a crooked brick structure, three wells and a wall made of large bricks. They also excavated worn out copper coins of circular and square shape, five gold artefacts and some earthenware ornaments.