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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.
Whether megalithic period uses Iron sickle in agriculture
No, the widespread use of iron tools like sickles came about during the Iron Age.
Which generally post-dates the megalithic period.
Megalithic Period: This period refers to societies that built impressive structures from large stones.
The exact dating varies by region, but generally falls between 4500 to 3000 BCE.
Iron Age: The Iron Age marks the introduction of ironworking technology.
This varies depending on location, but typically begins around 1200 BCE in the Middle East and Europe.
Therefore, while there might be some isolated instances of earlier iron use, widespread iron tools wouldn't have been a feature of megalithic societies.
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