MADURAI
Skeletal remains of two more children were excavated at Konthagai as part of the sixth phase of the excavations in the ancient site of Keeladi. While one of the skeletons was 105 cm in height, the other one measured 65 cm.
With the excavation of these two skeletons, the total number of children’s skeletons found at the same trench was five, said Deputy Director of Archaeology and in-charge of the excavations R. Sivanandam.
He said a couple of days back, a skeleton of an infant, measuring 35 cm in height, was excavated. The first child was excavated on June 19 and the second one on July 7. An urn was also found near the location from where the skeletons of the five children were excavated, said Mr. Sivanandam.
“We have taken photographs and documented these five skeletal remains. They will be sent to Madurai Kamaraj University, where DNA analysis would be undertaken,” he said.
The skulls, faces and teeth of the fourth and fifth child were all intact, he said. “But, the skull of the infant, which was fragile, was crushed when we had excavated it,” he added.
All the skeletal remains of the children were of primary burial, Mr. Sivanandam said. “Pits have been dug up for their burial. We could identify the pits only for some of the skeletal remains, as the layers have been merged together,” he said.
A primary burial referred to the burial of a body without any cremation. A secondary burial was usually when the remains of primary burial were exhumed to rebury them or when a body was cremated and the remains were buried, explained a source from the Archeological Department.
“We have also found bodies of adults during the excavation,” said Mr. Sivanandam.
The department source said Keeladi was considered the place for primary habitation. “So, the nearby Konthagai village was used as a burial spot. This signifies that they had followed a structured lifestyle,” the source added.