A total of 56 papers were presented by eminent archaeologists and scholars on various topics related to archaeology, including the archaeological excavations in Tamil Nadu, at a three-day International symposium on ‘Recent scientific studies in archaeology of Tamil Nadu’, which concluded in Madurai on Saturday.
The symposium was organised by Tamil Nadu State Department of Archaeology. Eminent archaeologists D. Dayalan Vibha Tripathi, Benjamin Smith, State Department of Archaeology Academic and Research Advisor K. Rajan, Joint Director R. Sivanantham, Deputy Director Yatish Kumar and others were present.
Mr. Dayalan said tremendous work was taking place in the field of archaeology. There were wide discussions, he said, adding that the academic discussions were encouraging.
Ms. Vibha Tripathi said that to reconstruct the life lived by our ancestors was the main aim of archaeology and the symposium tried to retrieve and reconstruct the past by getting into cutting edge scientific developments.
In his address, Mr. Smith said that the papers presented at the symposium by eminent archaeologists and scholars gave insights into key topics.
He advised students of archaeology to continue in future the extraordinary work that was being carried out. He urged them to stay in archaeology, live a fruitful and satisfied life and contribute to the world.
Mr. Yathish Kumar said that the thought-provoking sessions gave meaningful insights and there was knowledge exchange.
Earlier, Tamil Nadu Finance Minister Thangam Thennarasu had inaugurated the symposium and said that several long-term projects such as the documentation of rock art in Tamil Nadu, preparation of archaeological and historical atlas of Tamil Nadu, documentation of cultural heritage of Tamil Nadu and underwater archaeological expeditions were in progress.
He added that the focus was mainly on reconstructing the human past through scientific methods, establishing site museums, and collaborating with domestic and international laboratories for scientific interpretation of cultural materials.
An archaeological exhibition was also organised as part of the event and books on archaeology were released at the International symposium.
Published – January 24, 2026 10:47 pm IST
