Sangam age was paced with ample works of literature. Early historical society in the south is reconstructed mainly from the early Tamil anthologies and it is only recently that the picture has started receiving corroboration from the expanding discipline of archaeology. The culture was composite in which the northern and local elements had already attained a high level of fusion, but variations in this culture may be best analysed by referring to the regional scheme in the Tolkappiyam, the earliest Tamil grammar.

The evidences found depicting the societal structure of Sangama age mentions that there were five physiographic divisions of the land and the climate, the forests, the hills, the plains, the littoral and the arid. Dealing with seasonal patterns in these zones, the work speaks about gods, staple food, fauna, flora, folk-habits, occupations, musical instruments and so on, but the pattern of life differed from region to region. Thus, for example, while life in the plains centred around agricultural pursuit, that in the littoral was vigorously concerned with commerce. There was distinction too between the rural and urban areas, many of the settlements of the latter category having come up by this period.

The Chola, Pandya and Chera were the three main kingdoms along with a number of tribal chieftaincies were of immense important. Wars and tribal clashes were frequent during this era and the king, who was at this stage essentially a war leader, was primarily concerned with the protection of his tribe or kingdom. Another thing that requires mentioning is the development of literary culture during this period. The Sangam poems, although they occasionally reveal a type of sophistication which is in tune with the emerging complexity of the society, manifest a largely tribal sentiment in war and love. In religion too this element was predominant. Murugan, the godhead of one of the physiographic regions, came to be identified with the Puranic Karttikeya, but he was still essentially the Tamil god of war and fertility and was worshipped with the offering of rice and blood and the performance of orgiastic ritual dancing.

The people during the Sangam age used to cultivate the ragi and the panicum in the proper season. Moreover, four crops were produced and they which did not require ploughing by farmers. Some of the cultivated crops include rice, jack-fruit, sweet potato etc. The food diet of the people included tinai rice, meat, fish etc. Their trade was based on different things. Apart from trading and agriculture, some were also engaged in art works like making well fashion bangles, jewels from gold, painting, weaving etc. Certain changes, initially unrelated to Indian economy, also prompted the growth of Indian trade, particularly coastal trade. The most significant feature of this trade was the contact with the Roman world. It was prompted by Roman demand for such luxuries as spices, precious stones and Chinese silk and augmented by the use of monsoon winds before the middle of the first century AD. The most tangible proof of this trade is the numerous hoards of Roman coins, found mostly in the peninsular India.

The expansion of trade, guilds assumed a significance more pronounced than in any earlier period. Inscriptions reveal the existence of many of them: those of potters, metal-workers, carpenters, blackmiths, goldsmiths and silversmiths, ivory workers, corn-dealers, hydraulic engineers and so on. In fact, any profession could organize itself into a guild as it provided security to its individual members. The important guilds acted as bankers and financiers as well. Urban centres, most of which had their origin as commercial centres, naturally reached the height of their expansion, and the requirements of the time caused a number of new urban centres to come up. In the south many of them were new and their connection with trade is evident from the fact that such sites as Kaverippattinam and Arikamedu were important port-towns.

During the Sangam age, King was the royal scepter. The people were religious and they used to worship their gods and goddesses with reverence. Several festival, religious occasions were a part of their life. Their tribal dance was associated with the worship of muraga and the tribal dance was performed with beating of drums and other musical instruments. The well dressed people assembled in a group and performed tribal dance and music.