Excavations in Tamilnadu (An Archaelogical Report)

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I am happy to write foreword for the book titled "EXCAVATIONS IN TAMIL NADU AN ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORT" authored by Dr. T.S. Sridhar, IAS, Principal Secretary and Commissioner of Archaeology and Museums. The book was the outcome of the prestigious Sir S. SUBRAMANYA AYYAR ENDOWMENT LECTURE, delivered by him at Department of Ancient History and Archaeology, Madras University in its One Hundred and Fiftieth celebration year, on 09-11-2005.

Archaeology is a science that deals with the past. It is essentially a method of reconstructing the past from the surviving traces of former societies. It is a continuous search for the existence of man and the artifacts, tools, his life style and food habits. It provides another method of approach to history by studying the human cultures through the material remains.

Most human beings have some interest in the past and are always curious about the traces left by their predecessors. To the common man Archaeology tends to be identified with digging. The Greek word Archaios means ancient while logos refers to its feature i.e., Science. It studies the story of man's past through his material remains; it helps to understand culture, know history and preserve heritage, and it contributes immensely to tourism. Archaeology presents another method of approach to history; it is a study of human cultures through the material remains. Even for the period for which written records are available, archaeology provides useful supplementary evidence and serves to fill in the gaps. The earliest known archaeologist was Nabonidus, king of Babylon, who in the sixth century BCE excavated a temple floor down to its foundation stone laid thousands of years ago.