In a bid to unravel the past trade links of the ancient Tamils, the State Archaeology Department is planning to carry out underwater excavations in areas of the port cities and towns that existed during the Sangam and medieval periods.
The objective is to probe trade contacts with Greek, Roman and Arab merchants. The last time the State Archaeology Department took up underwater excavations was in the 1990s, off Poompuhar.
The underwater excavations are part of the massive excavation chart the department has planned in multiple sites across the State for the forthcoming year, a senior official said.
The excavations in multiple sites along the coastal areas on the Bay of Bengal are likely to involve experts from the Tamil University in Thanjavur, the Pondicherry University and the National Institute of Oceanography.
“Preliminary consultations on these projects are being held in collaboration with reputed institutions like the National Institute of Oceanography,” the officer said, adding that experienced divers will be involved in the exercise, as will anchored ships.
It may be recalled that the Archaeological Survey of India carried out an underwater excavation off Salavankuppam near Mamallapuram in 2005.
The T.N. Archaeology Department has also proposed excavations in Keezhadi and its cluster, Sivaganga district, Adichanallur in Thoothukudi district, Kodumanal in Erode district and Sivagalai in Thoothukudi district during 2019-20.