Keeladi excavation report vetted; deficiencies flagged in methodology, interpretation
Union Culture Minister tells Lok Sabha that expert review of first two seasons found gaps in analysis and presentation; final report from TN's Archaeology Department still awaited
The report on Keeladi excavation in Tamil Nadu for the first two seasons was “vetted” by experts, and “deficiencies” in methodology, chronology, interpretation, presentation, and analytical rigour were communicated to the lead excavator, the government told Lok Sabha on Monday.
Union Culture Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat said this in a written response to queries related to the Keeladi excavation by MPs Kanimozhi and S Venkatesan.
He was asked the reasons for the “delay” in publishing the excavation report of the Keezhadi archaeological site in Tamil Nadu, despite the completion of multiple excavation phases.
Draft excavation report
The minister was also asked whether the government has received and accepted the draft excavation report prepared and submitted to the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) in January 2023.
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“The excavation report for the 2014-15 and 2015-16 seasons was received by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) in January 2023 and has since undergone expert vetting in accordance with standard protocol. This process is essential to ensuring academic integrity and is not intended to delay or diminish the significance of the findings,” he said.
“The excavation report for the first two seasons has been vetted by experts and deficiencies in methodology, chronology, interpretation, presentation, and analytical rigour, etc., have been communicated to the lead excavator,” the minister said.
Shekhawat said that, considering the archaeological potential of the site, it was taken for excavation by ASI between 2014 and 2017. Since 2018, the Tamil Nadu State Department of Archaeology has continued excavations at the site. However, the final report from the State Department has not yet been published, he added.