Siruthavoor : an Iron Age-Early Historical Burial Site, Tamil Nadu, South India.

Cover -- Title Page -- Copyright Page -- Contents -- List of Figures -- List of Tables -- Acknowledgment -- Preface -- Chapter 1 Introduction -- 1.1 Why study the megaliths in south India -- 1.2 USING THE TERM: 'MEGALITHIC' -- 1.3 CHRONOLOGY AND DISTRIBUTION OF MEGALITHIC BURIALS AROUND THE WORLD -- 1.4 THE IRON AGE-EARLY HISTORIC OR 'MEGALITHIC' BURIALS OF INDIA -- 1.5 THE SANGAM LITERATURE AND IA-EH BURIALS -- 1.6 SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC STRUCTURE OF THE IRON AGE-EARLY HISTORICAL PERIOD BASED ON LITERARY SOURCES AND THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL EVIDENCE -- 1.7 ARCHAEOLOGICAL EVIDENCE FROM EXCAVATED SITES -- 1.8 CHRONOLOGY OF TAMIL NADU IA-EH BURIALS -- 1.9 TYPOLOGY OF THE BURIALS -- 1.10 PREVIOUS CLASSIFICATIONS OF IA-EH BURIALS -- 1.11 THE IA-EH SITE-SIRUTHAVOOR -- Figure 1.2 Map showing excavated sites in Tamil Nadu (map prepared by Kelly G and Haricharan S. 2010). -- Table 1.1 Correlation between sites and type of burial of coastal sites in Tamil Nadu -- Table 1.2 Correlation between site and artifact excavated of coastal sites in Tamil Nadu -- Table 1.3 Correlations between sites and type of burial of inland sites in Tamil Nadu -- Table 1.4 Dates from Previously Excavated IA-EH Sites -- Table 1.5 Classification of burials put forward by several archaeologists -- Chapter 2 Siruthavoor: An Iron Age-Early Historic site -- 2.1 INTRODUCTION -- 2.2 GEOMORPHOLOGY -- 2.3 GEOLOGY -- 2.4 Soil Types -- 2.5 CLIMATE AND RAINFALL -- 2.6 VEGETATION -- 2.7 The IA-EH BURIALS of Siruthavoor -- Figure 2.1 The study area: Siruthavoor -- Figure 2.2 Study area showing 1. encroachment, 2. dolmen with circle and 3. Siruthavoor Lake -- Figure 2.3 Exposed Statigraphic sections at Siruthavoor -- Table 2.1 Stratigraphy of the Siruthavoor site -- Table 2.2 Major plant varieties found around Chennai.

Figure 2.4 Large areas of the site destroyed due to natural and anthropogenic activities -- Table 2.3 Some varieties of Acacia found growing around Chennai -- Chapter 3 Methodology -- 3.1 INTRODUCTION -- 3.2 EXPLORATION AND EXCAVATION -- 3.3 CLASSIFICATION AND MAPPING OF DIFFERENT BURIAL TYPES -- 3.4 EXCAVATION -- 3.5 OSL DATING SAMPLES -- 3.6 TEXTURAL ANALYSIS -- 3.7 MICROMORPHOLOGY OF POTTERY -- 3.8 GEOCHEMISTRY -- 3.8.1 Major Oxide -- 3.8.1.1 CIA -- 3.8.2 REE Analysis -- 3.9 FLOTATION -- Figure 3.1 Flow chart showing the different methodologies adopted for understanding the formation of the site -- Chapter 4 Exploration and Excavation at Siruthavoor -- 4.1 INTRODUCTION -- 4.2 EXPLORATION OF IA-EH BURIAL SITES AROUND SIRUTHAVOOR -- 4.3 SPATIAL PATTERN OF BURIALS AT SIRUTHAVOOR -- 4.3.1 Cairn Circle -- 4.3.2 Dolmen -- 4.3.3 Dolmenoid Cist -- 4.3.4 Cist -- 4.3.5 Urn Burials -- 4.4 LITHOSECTION -- 4.5 EXCAVATION -- 4.5.1 Excavation of Burial 1 (Cairn Circle) -- 4.5.2 Excavation of Burial 2 (Sarcophagus) -- 4.5.4 Excavation of Burial 4 (Dolmen) -- 4.5.5 Excavation of Burial 5 (Dolmen with circle) -- 4.5.6 Excavation of Burial 6 (Dolmenoid Cist) -- 4.5.7 Excavation of Burial 7 (Urn with Capstone) -- 4.5.8 Excavation of Burial 8 (Urn) -- Figure 4.1 Study area Siruthavoor and other IA-EH sites around Siruthavoor -- Figure 4.2 Site Sirukunram: Cairn Circle -- Figure 4.3 Dolmen with curved cairn circle stones at Siruthavoor -- Figure 4.4 Dolmen with curved cairn circle stones at Amur -- Figure 4.5 Dolmen very low in Siruthavoor with 2 large slabs as capstone -- Figure 4.6 Dolmen very low in Amur with 2 large slabs as capstone -- Figure 4.7 Dolmen at Amur with anti-chamber and large flat boulder as capstone -- Table 4.1. Individual type of burial and their number -- Figure 4.10 Capstone at Amur showing signs of being shaped.

Figure 4.11 Capstone from Siruthavoor with a line of holes probably for cutting or shaping of stone -- Figure 4.8 Dolmen at Siruthavoor with anti-chamber and large flat boulder as capstone -- Figure 4.9 Gnranatic Gneiss and Charnokite used for IA-EH burials at Siruthavoor -- Figure 4.12 Map of Siruthavoor showing all the burial types including cairn circle, dolmen, cist, dolmen with circle, cist with circle and dolmenoid cist -- Figure 4.13 Over all map of Siruthavoor (close up) showing the spatial outlay of all IA-EH burials at Siruthavoor -- Figure 4.14 Spatial outlay cist and cist with circle type burial at Siruthavoor -- Figure 4.15 Spatial outlay of dolmen and dolmen with circle type burials at Siruthavoor -- Figure 4.16 Spatial outlay of cist with circle and dolmen with circle type burials at Siruthavoor -- Figure 4.17 Spatial outlay of dolmen, cist and dolmenoid cist type of burials at Siruthavoor -- Figure 4.18 Spatial outlay of cairn circle type burials at Siruthavoor -- Figure 4.19 Spatial outlay of cist type burials at Siruthavoor -- Figure 4.20 Spatial outlay cist with circle type burials at Siruthavoor -- Figure 4.21 Spatial outlay of dolmen with circle type burials at Siruthavoor -- Figure 4.22 Spatial outlay of dolmen type burial at Siruthavoor -- Figure 4.23 cairn circle with lateritic blocks outside circle -- Figure 4.24 Cairn circle around hillock showing overlap of burials -- Figure 4.25 Dolmen with low/flush capstone -- Figure 4.26 Dolmen with circle, dolmen has five stones supporting the capstone and is circular shaped -- Figure 4.27 Low dolmen with long slabs as capstone -- Figure 4.28 Dolmen with long boulder shaped stones -- Figure 4.29 Dolmen with outcrop, and open on two sides -- Figure 4.30 Dolmen with symbolic features and outcrop used as part of a dolmen.

Figure 4.31 Dolmenoid cist showing swastika pattern and roughly shaped stones -- Figure 4.32 Dolmenoid cist with swastika pattern at Amur -- Figure 4.33 Cist burial situated northwest of Siruthavoor Lake with swastika pattern clearly visible on the surface -- Figure 4.34 Cist burial with one orthostat higher above ground than rest -- Figure 4.35 Exposed section showing cist burial -- Figure 4.36 exposed section of cist burial with sarcophagus and urn seen -- Figure 4.37 Iron implements found near disturbed cist burials during exploration -- Figure 4.38 Map showing distribution of lithosection at Sairuthavoor -- Figure 4.39 Graph of lithosections 1-5 -- Figure 4.40 Image showing lithosections 1-5 at Siruthavoor -- Figure 4.41 Distribution of excavated burials and lithosection at Siruthavoor -- Figure 4.42 Plan of Burial 1 at Siruthavoor, situated close to the lake, having an extra stone inside the cairn circle in the east -- Figure 4.43 Statigraphy of burial 1 eastern section -- Figure 4.44 Southwestern quadrant with coarse Red Ware pottery -- Figure 4.45 Western quadrant showing sarcophagus -- Figure 4.46 Burial 1 after excavation of eastern and western quadrants showing stone assemblage in the centre -- Figure 4.47 Burial 2:Exposed sarcophagus with remnants of lid -- Figure 4.48 Iron implements and beads from excavated burials at Siruthavoor -- Figure 4.49 Burial 3: Cist type burial with fourth orthostat disturbed -- Figure 4.50 Outside cist, cairn packing on eastern and south eastern areas -- Figure 4.51 Slab on top of cist with cairn packing on top with slab in eastern side -- Figure 4.52 Cist with pottery -- Figure 4.53 Iron implements from burial 3, sword like object and 2 large iron slabs found near sarcophagus inside cist -- Figure 4.54 Sarcophagus, large iron implements and Red Ware stand.

Figure 4.56 Sarcophagus of cist with stone below legs to balance the structure -- Figure 4.57 sarcophagus from cist with associated grave goods -- Figure 4.58 Burial 4: dolmen associated with outcrop, next to smaller hillock -- Figure 4.59 Burial 4 showing association with outcrop -- Figure 4.60 Burial 5: Dolmen in pentagon/circular shape with two triangular stones in the east -- Figure 4.61 Burial 5 with stone packing between boulders below captsone -- Figure 4.62 Gold ring from burial 5 -- Figure 4.63 Sarcophagi A, B and C within burial 5 with remains of lid on top -- Figure 4.64 Bedrocks on which sarcophagi were kept in burial 5 -- Figure 4.65 Dolmenoid cist type burial, burial 6 -- Figure 4.68 Burial 7, urn with capstone -- Figure 4.69 Urn with inverted lid on top burial 8 -- Chapter 5 Results -- 5.1 LABORATORY ANALYSIS OF SEDIMENTS AND POTTERY FROM SIRUTHAVOOR -- 5.2 TEXTURAL ANALYSIS -- 5.2.1 Trilinear Diagram of Sand, Silt and Clay Percentages -- 5.2.2 Sieve Analyses -- 5.3 GEOCHEMICAL ANALYSIS OF SEDIMENT SAMPLES FROM SIRUTHAVOOR -- 5.3.1 Major Element Analysis of Sediment Samples from Siruthavoor -- 5.3.2 Trace metal data of sediment samples from Siruthavoor -- 5.4 OSL DATING OF POTTERY SAMPLES FROM EXCAVATED BURIALS -- 5.5 ANALYSIS OF POTTERY AT SIRUTHAVOOR -- 5.5.1 REE Data -- 5.5.2 Preliminary Examination of Potsherd Thin Sections from Siruthavoor Megalithic Burial Site -- 5.5.3 Megascopic Observations -- 5.5.4 Microscopic Studies -- 5.5.4.1 Rock fragment and sand temper -- 5.5.4.2 Iron oxide mineralogy in the clays -- 5.5.5 Description of the thin Section -- 5.5.6 Discussion of pottery thin section -- Table 5.1 Textural analysis of burial 1 -- Table 5.2 Textural Analysis of Burial 2 -- Table 5.3 Textural Analysis of Burial 3 -- Table 5.4 Textural analysis of burials 4, 5, 7 and 8 -- Table 5.5 Textural analysis of lithosection 1.

Figure 5.1 Trilinear diagram of sediments from burial 1.

This study aims at using and understanding man-land relationships in order to better comprehend the megalithic burials of Tamil Nadu.

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