The present book Archaeology of Amaravathi River Valley : Porunthal Excavations seeks to update our knowledge based on the findings obtained from the intensive explorations and two seasons of controlled  excavations  at Porunthal to understand the processes of cultural transformation from Iron Age to Historic period through mutually supportive work & interpretative techniques. The archaeological, epigraphical,  literary  and numismatic data are analysed and synthesized within a given political, social, economic and religious context to give a cohesive picture on the historical settings of the micro-region. The micro-level maps provide a good amount of knowledge on the emergence and re-emergence of settlements. The carefully prepared illustrations are self-explanatory and educative. The book provides a kaleidoscopic view on the nature of cultural process that undergone in the long span of human life.

About the Author

K. Rajan, Professor, Department of History, Pondicherry University is one of the noted archaeologists of South India. He studied M.A. in Ancient History and Archaeology at the University of Madras and went on to receive his PG Dip. in Archaeology from School of Archaeology, New Delhi and obtained his Ph.D. from Mysore University. He had done extensive archaeological explorations and excavations in Tamil Nadu. He discovered more than one thousand and five hundred archaeological sites ranging from prehistory to early historic period and excavated four important sites namely Mayiladumparai, Thandikudi, Porunthal and Kodumanal. He is one of the Team Heads of the Ford Foundation Project, Historical Atlas of South India. He has completed twenty-five major research projects and authored ten books and eighty-five articles.

V.P. Yathees Kumar is Assistant Archaeologist, Archaeological Survey of India. He obtained M.A. in History, Archaeology and Manuscriptology from Tamil University, Thanjavur and Ph.D. from Pondicherry University. He has discovered more than five hundred archaeological sites in Bhavani, Vaigai and Amaravathi river valleys. He took active participation in Thandikudi, Kodumanal and Porunthal excavations & in the preparation of Historical Atlas of South India.