Abstract
Megalithic monuments are the most visible archaeological remains in Kerala. It was so common in other parts of the world too. The history of pre or early historic past of a society is traceable only through the study of its archaeological evidences. Megalithic monuments were received wide acceptance and generally treat this as the only source for that period of time. But the facts behind the burial practices and this megalithic culture were still spread among the peoples as a kind of mythical stories. Recently large numbers of burial monuments were traced from Kerala and it makes a position in the archaeological map of Kerala. The earliest evidence of ancient human habitation in Kerala dates to the upper Palaeolithic Age (25000 to 3000 years). Palaeolithic people could survive only in high-altitude environments. As in the case of the Upper Palaeolithic period, the Mesolithic tools of Kerala have not been scientifically dated because they have not been discovered in any precisely datable stratified context. Neolithic artefacts discovered from Kerala indicate that the culture had diffused from the sites of neighbouring states. Early Iron Age society can be studied only in the light of archaeological studies. Archaeological remains of the period mostly belong to the burial monuments and their content. In the case of Kerala, it is difficult to differentiate the cultural layer between the Iron Age and the early historic period. So its study is important to find out the development of human habitation in the Eranad region.
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References
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