Nagapattinam (Tamil Nadu):
A small polished stone axe, believed to be dating back to the new stone age period, has been unearthed at Thirukkadaiyur near Porayar in Nagapattinam district, an archaeological expert said on Monday.
The axe, called Celt, is believed to be 3,000 years old, Kudavayil Sundaravelu told reporters here.
Celt was found when a well situated in the backyard of a house of one Manikandan at Thirukkadaiyur was being de-silted.
Mr Sundaravelu said during the new stone age period, the Celt had probably been designed to serve as an attachment to wooden shafts and mainly used for felling trees, shaping wood and in agricultural purposes.
He said the Celt found at Thirukkadaiyur was 18 cm long and 5 cm broad. It might have been carved from basaltic dike rocks, Mr Sundaravelu added.