The first skeletal remains of an adult were unearthed at Konthagai village, on Monday as part of the ongoing sixth phase of Keeladi excavations.
The skeleton was 183 cm long with a width of 35 cm according to Deputy Director (DD) of Archaeology R. Sivanandam. Based on the height and the shape of the forehead, it was likely to be the remains of a man, he said.
A total of five other skeletal remains have been excavated till date but all of them have been of children, he added.
The DD says that pit burial was conducted at a depth of 70 cm to bury the remains. It was merely 2.5 m away from the other skeletons.
Konthagai village located four kilometres from Keeladi, was added as an excavation site during the sixth phase. It was considered to be a burial site.
The DD said that the remains were being handled with care to ensure that there was not too much exposure to sunlight and transported to the Madurai Kamaraj University for DNA analysis. “We will be able to determine more details only when the lab begins functioning in full swing,” he said.
Excavations are currently taking place at Keeladi, Konthagai, Manalur and Agaram villages in Sivaganga district.
Recently, a terracotta ringwell was unearthed as part of the excavation at Manalur.
