Researchers Reconstruct Faces from 2,500-Year-Old Keeladi Skulls
Scientists recreate facial features from 2,500-year-old human remains discovered near Keeladi in Tamil Nadu, revealing insights into ancient South Indian populations.
Unearthing Ancient Lives
Research teams at Madurai Kamaraj University in Tamil Nadu are extracting enamel from a 2,500-year-old tooth using a micro-drill. The sample, along with a second skull, was recovered from large burial urns at Kondagai, near the politically significant Keeladi excavation.
Archaeologists date Keeladi’s urban settlement to around 580 BC. These findings suggest a sophisticated civilization in southern India contemporaneous with the northern Indus Valley culture.
Digital Facial Reconstruction
3D scans of the two male skulls were sent to Face Lab at Liverpool John Moores University in the UK. Experts used forensic and artistic techniques to add muscle, flesh and skin to the digital models, adhering to standard anatomical measurements.
Adding color posed a challenge, from deciding skin tone to eye and hair color. Researchers applied shades matching contemporary Tamil Nadu populations, sparking social media debate on identity and heritage.
Cultural and Genetic Insights
Professor G. Kumaresan of Madurai Kamaraj University notes the facial features align primarily with Ancient Ancestral South Indians, with traces of Middle Eastern Eurasian and Austro-Asiatic ancestry. This mix hints at ancient migration and genetic exchange.
Ongoing DNA analysis aims to build an ancient gene library, though degraded samples pose challenges. Early findings confirm Keeladi residents practiced agriculture, trade and cattle rearing, consuming rice, millets and even dates.
Historical Implications
The Keeladi reconstructions challenge the notion that early Indian urbanization was confined to the north. They highlight a diverse and literate society in the south, reshaping narratives about India’s ancient past.
The reconstructions reveal a complex, multicultural ancestry in ancient South India, underscoring the region’s role in early urban development.
This topic was reported by BBC.
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