• Context– Iron implements were recovered from the Malampuzha dam’s catchment area
• Implements belonging to the Iron Age.

What is Iron age:

• The Iron Age is the final epoch of the three-age division of the prehistory and protohistory of humanity.
• It was preceded by the Stone Age.

Location:

• Catchment area of the Malampuzha dam.
• Dateable to over 2,000 years ago, the relics have retained memories of an age which began agriculture in the south.
• The plains between the hills could most probably have been used for farming by the people who erected the burials on the slopes and tops of the hills nearby.
• One of the cist burials huge in size and has four chambers which are unusual.

Findings:

• The iron implements found include a nail, a chisel, a wedge, a knife and a dagger.
• The broken pieces of the dagger were recovered from a cist found at the location.
• Knife was found beside another cist, the nail, chisel, wedge and two other tools were recovered from the top of a broken urn at South Malampuzha.
• Tools that could not be identified might be a spearhead and the top portion of a sickle.

Iron Age burials:

• During the iron age, people had used huge earthen jars for burying the mortal remains of the dead.
• The iron age burials are the evidence for secondary burials which was practiced during that period.
• Most of the burials have been destroyed.
• At many sites, post holes have also been found indicating that they could have been us