Did the Iron Age begin with Tamils? New research challenges history

A groundbreaking archaeological discovery in Tamil Nadu is set to rewrite global history, with new evidence suggesting that iron smelting in the region dates back to as early as 3,345 BCE—over a thousand years earlier than previously believed. 

The findings challenge long-held assumptions that the Iron Age began in the Hittite Empire in present-day Turkey around 1300 BCE and instead position Tamil Nadu as one of the earliest known centres of iron production.

The discovery, which has implications for global archaeological and historical research, was recently unveiled by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin, who declared:
"The history of the Indian subcontinent can no longer fail to notice Tamil Nadu. It must, in fact, begin here."

Archaeologists working across six sites in Tamil Nadu—Adichchanallur, Sivagalai, Mayiladumparai, Kilnamandi, Mangadu, and Thelunganur—have uncovered iron objects dating back between 2,953 and 3,345 BCE. These would date the findings to between 5,000 to 5,400 years old.

This includes:

•    Hoe-spades, spears, knives, arrowheads, chisels, axes, and swords
•    A sophisticated iron sword from a burial site made of ultra-high-carbon steel, a precursor to later advanced metallurgy
•    Iron slag and remnants of furnaces, indicating that ancient Tamil communities were not just using iron, but actively smelting and processing it

The findings were supported by radiocarbon dating from internationally recognised laboratories, including Beta Analytic, which confirmed that Tamil Nadu’s iron production predated the Hittite Empire’s metallurgy by centuries.

This discovery has led experts to reconsider the origins of ironworking technology. Historian Osmund Bopearachchi, from the French National Centre for Scientific Research, remarked, "We know that the first signs of real steel production date back to the 13th Century BCE in present-day Turkey. The radiometric dates seem to prove that the Tamil Nadu samples are earlier."

Archaeologist Oishi Roy of Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (ISSER) said the findings indicate indicates the people there "were iron makers, not just users - a technologically advanced community evolving over time".

This suggests that the knowledge of ironworking may have developed independently in Tamil Nadu, rather than being introduced from the Northwest or Anatolia (modern-day Turkey).

Unlike other regions where iron use was limited to meteoritic iron (naturally occurring iron from meteorites), Tamil Nadu’s ironworkers were involved in true smelting—extracting iron from ore through high-temperature furnaces.

At Kodumanal, excavators discovered an iron smelting furnace with visible iron slag fused to the walls, pointing to a well-established industry. This challenges the traditional belief that metallurgy required a preceding Copper Age and suggests that Tamil Nadu’s ancient inhabitants bypassed the Chalcolithic stage, moving straight into advanced ironworking.

The discovery has sparked international debate over whether Tamil Nadu, rather than Anatolia, should be credited with the world’s earliest known iron production. If further research confirms these findings, Tamil Nadu could be recognised as one of the first global centres of metallurgy—a discovery that could fundamentally reshape the history of the Iron Age.

Experts caution that more excavation is needed to gather comprehensive data across the Indian subcontinent. However, what is clear is that the technological sophistication of ancient Tamil society has been vastly underestimated.

Read more from the BBC here and a feature on the topic by Sharada Srinivasan, a professor at the National Institute of Advanced Studies, Bengaluru, on Frontline here.

____

^{Photographs courtesy Tamil Nadu State Department of Archaeology}