Iron sickle throws light on ancient farm life

An iron sickle found in an ancient burial urn at Parudur near Thrithala in Pattambi taluk of Palakkad district has triggered the curiosity of researchers about the agricultural practices that prevailed in the megalithic period.

The sickle was estimated to be 2,500 years old and looked still solid in spite of the rusting it has undergone over the centuries. The sickle was found in a large earthen urn during the foundation work for the house of Moideen Kutty, 72, aka Kunhutty a few months ago.

The urn was covered with a laterite stone, which got broken while an earthmover dug up the area. Mr.

Moideen Kutty said that several such ancient relics had been found from his land while digging for different purposes in the last few years.

2,500 years old

K. Rajan, professor of history from Sree Neelakanta Government Sanskrit College, Pattambi, estimated the sickle to be around 2,500 years old. He had found similar iron tools dating back to megalithic period from different sites in Palakkad district.

“What is more interesting is the solid build of the iron sickle found in the burial urn along with other items from the megalithic period. It is not a war tool; rather it is an agricultural implement. It tells a lot about the metallurgical skills of the people who lived there about 25 centuries ago,” said Prof. Rajan.

The land from which the megalithic iron sickle was found is close to a paddyfield, strengthening the presumptions of the researchers about the agricultural life of the people who lived there centuries ago. “Clearly we can say that it was an agricultural society. Studies found that the people had turned to agriculture especially in the latter part of the Iron Age,” said Prof. Rajan.

Historians have fixed the megalithic age of Kerala from 1,000 BC to the early years of Christian era. This period is also being referred to as the Iron Age or the early historic age. Although burial urns have been found across the State, the people have been displaying a tendency to destroy them as they fear two things: the superstitious fear of the dead and the fear of archaeological authorities laying a claim on their land.

Moideen Kutty displaying an iron sickle he found in a burial urn in his plot at Parudur near Thrithala.