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Megalithic-era sarcophagus unearthed in Kerala
Context
A rare sarcophagus (stone coffin), said to be 2,000-year old from the Iron Age–Megalithic era, was discovered from a rock-cut cave at Viyur village of Kollam, near Koyilandy, in Kozhikode district on Monday
Man or woman
The bone fragments could be of either a man or a woman
- Carbon dating: They will be sent for carbon dating using accelerator mass spectrometry at the Beta Analytical Laboratory in California
Discovery
Excavation at the site commenced after a hemispherical rock-cut chamber was discovered in a compound while flattening land using an earthmover
- Dimensions: The cave, with an inside pillar, measuring 1.9 metres in diameter, has a height of 90 centimetres
- The entrance of the cave was on the eastern side
- Pottery found: The square-shaped door has equal length of 50 centimetres on all sides. Different types of pottery, mostly four-legged jars and iron implements, were found in the cave
Implication
It confirms that a rich Megalithic culture existed in the region following the discoveries of pre-Iron age civilisation earlier
