School students unearth artefacts in Virudhunagar

Virudhunagar: Students of the panchayat union middle school at Muthaneri in Virudhunagar district have unearthed artefacts like pottery shards and stone tools in the region dating back to Mesolithic era. They found the artefacts while conducting a surface survey near their homes and the local Puthukanmai tank, and handed them over to the school authorities.Trained by headmaster K Anbuvelan as part of the school's heritage conservation club activities, the group comprised students Muthumurugan, Akshaya, Vanisri, Mugilrajan, Manikandan, Rahul, Abhi, and Jenika. After the findings were intimated, V Rajaguru, president of Ramanathapuram Archaeological Research Foundation, visited the site to conduct a detailed investigation.He told TOI that the artefacts recovered span several distinct eras, including Mesolithic, the Iron Age, and Medieval periods. Among the finds are microlithic tools made of chert, quartz, and jasper, which were typically used by prehistoric humans as arrowheads, small knives, and scrapers. The tools, characteristic of Mesolithic period suggest that ancient hunter-gatherers lived near riverbeds and streams that once flowed through this region.In addition to the prehistoric tools, the students also discovered black-and-red ware pottery, sling stones, and iron artefacts dating to Iron Age. The collection also features redware pottery from the Medieval period, including a unique shard decorated with stamped floral and bird motifs.According to Rajaguru, the discovery of these artefacts confirms that Muthaneri region has been a site of continuous human habitation for nearly 30,000 years. The find underscores the importance of involving students in heritage conservation, as their curious eyes have helped map a significant chapter of Tamil Nadu's ancient past, he added.