Archaeologists Find Torpedo-Jar Fragment and Ring Wells off Poompuhar

Archaeologists conducting the third phase of an underwater survey off the Poompuhar coast in Tamil Nadu’s Mayiladuthurai district have found a broken fragment of a torpedo jar and four ancient ring wells. The Tamil Nadu State Department of Archaeology carried out the exploration. The fragment is believed to have been brought from West Asia during the early historic period, according to the supplied report.

The archaeologists also identified four ring wells. Their diameters ranged from 60 to 65 centimetres. Mr Kumar, cited by The Hindu, said the discovery of the wells indicated that a palaeochannel might have been present at the site.

A palaeochannel is an earlier channel of a river or other watercourse, but the report describes its presence only as a possibility. The finds were made during the third phase of the survey. The supplied material does not state when the earlier phases took place, the precise location of the discoveries, or whether additional artefacts were recovered.

It also gives no further dating evidence for the wells or the pottery fragment. The available findings nevertheless provide archaeologists with evidence of historical activity at the underwater site and a possible connection to an earlier water channel.