Siruthavoor : : an Iron Age-early historical burial site, Tamil Nadu, South India /

Siruthavoor : : an Iron Age-early historical burial site, Tamil Nadu, South India / / Smriti Haricharan.

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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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Bibliographic Details
VerfasserIn:
Haricharan, Smriti,
Place / Publishing House:Oxford : : Archaeopress,, [2016]
©2016
Year of Publication:2016
Edition:1st ed.
Language:English
Physical Description:1 online resource (106 pages)
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Table of Contents:
  • 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.

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