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Excavating Attirampakkam Aims of the Excavation
View of the Geological Trench, GT-01 and trench T8 showing a thick sequence of deposits with Acheulian artefact horizons. Attirampakkam forms one of a complex of Palaeolithic sites in the Kortallayar river basin, Tamil Nadu. Our excavations aim at investigating questions related to hominin behaviour and Pleistocene environments in the region; at examining the broader geomorphic context of the site as part of a Neogene and Quaternary pediment and floodplain environment; at dating the site; and studying lithic technology and the nature of cultural transitions through time. Above all, we aim to situate these results within the context of South Asian prehistory. Few large scale excavations of open-air Palaeolithic sites have been conducted in India. Our excavations and publications aim at providing information which may be used to address issues related to the dispersal of hominis across Asia, and their adaptation to local environmental changes. Our broader project surveying the sites in Northern Tamil Nadu, aim at creating a database of Palaeolithic sites in this region. We are also investigating Pleistocene geomorphology and environmental changes in relation to changing hominin adapative strategies.
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