Ancient Maritime Connections ofris.org.in/images/RIS_images/pdf/2 selva bhuvaneshwar 21 march...
Transcript of Ancient Maritime Connections ofris.org.in/images/RIS_images/pdf/2 selva bhuvaneshwar 21 march...
Ancient Maritime Connections of Tamizhagam in South India and
their Historical Implications
V. SelvakumarDepartment of Epigraphy and Archaeology
Tamil UniversityThanjavur 613010
Perspectives on the Past• History and Culture are often viewed from National or
Regional perspectives
• Inward looking “in the well” approach
• Socio-cultural context of the archaeologists/historians makes great impact on history writing
• External factors are significant in historical developments
• Looking beyond the “self” is very important
• Historical processes operate beyond the modern national boundaries
• Thus the perspective of “Indian Ocean region” is important
Indian Ocean Connections in the Early Historic period
• India perhaps reached out more in the Early Historic period than any other period
• Spread of ideas, knowledge and material culture
• Colonial perceptions focused on “Indo=Roman” trade.
• Shift from site-Oriented (“Arikamedu Centric”) to Landscape Oriented perception
• Current perception: “Indian Ocean exchange”
Perceptions of the connections
• Five blind persons and an elephant - parts and the whole
• I. Meta-level perspectives – Indian Ocean Region
• II. Sub-regions : Bay of Bengal, Arabian Sea, Red Sea, Persian Gulf
• III. Views from micro cultural regions
• Tamil Nadu -Kerala- Orissa- Andhra –Karnataka-Bengal-Gujarat : interlinked regions
Focus of My paper
• Early Historic period
• Ca. 300 BCE to 500 BCE
• The Region of Tamil Nadu and Kerala in South India
Early Historic Indian Ocean Exchanges
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Indian Ocean Region
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Iron Age Developments
• Iron Age : 1000 BCE to 300 BCE
• Megalithic Burials
• Maritime Connections perhaps developed in this period
Courtesy: Dr. K.Rajan
Double Dolmens with porthole
Dolmen Marayur
Early Historic Developments
• Ports and markets on the coast
• Introduction of script
• Coins
• Brick Architecture
• Evidence for overseas contacts
Ancient port sites of Extreme South
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Indian Ocean Exchanges - Major Sources
Sources Period Content
Greek Historian Strabo’s ‘Geography’ 1BC/AD Geographical encyclopedia in Greek
Periplus Maris Erythraei by an unknown
author
AD 40 -70AD Navigational guide of the trade route
from Red Sea to India
Pliny’s ‘Natural History’ Mid 1st AD published
after 77.
Encyclopedic work on the ancient
Roman world
Ptolemy’s Geography 150 AD Geographical knowledge of the
ancient Greco-Roman world
Muziris Papyrus 2nd C AD Trade contract between a merchant
from Muziris and a banker/agent from
Alexandria.
Charition 2nd C AD Comedy play/mime with Indian
characters & references on Indian
trade
Peutinger table 4th C AD Map depicting 2nd AD trade routes
Cosmas Indicopleustus 6th C AD Indian voyager reports on the Syrian
Xians and pepper trade of Malabar17
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Peutinger Table Map showing Malabar Coast and 2nd C AD trade routes. (derived from a 4th C AD original)
Arikamedu
Excavation by Wheeler and his team
Southern Sector
Arikamedu Southern Sector
Drainage Structure
Views of Arikamedu(1989-1992) Photos By Steven
Sidebotham
Trenches at
Arikamedu
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Pattanam in Kerala
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Section showing Iron Age& Early Historic layers, storage jar, and brick wall. [2007]
Ferruginous sandy layer
Iron age layer
Early Historic Layers
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Bollards
? 9 Teak bollards (2007)The 14C Cal. age -1100 BC to 1300 AD, [i.e.100±1200 cal. ad,]
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A View of the Brick Platform
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Brick structure [2008]
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Brick complex near wharf [2008]
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Structural orientation (SE-NW)
Terracotta Ring well
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A close-up view of the triple grooved tiles, bricks etc …
Fragments of triple grooved tiles[2008]
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Pattanam
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Toilets/Soakage Jars – Pattanam 2008
Kaveripoompattinam
Wharf excavated by State Archaeology Department
Wharf excavated by State Archaeology Department
Kaveripoompattinam
Kaveropoompattinam
Azhakankulam
Sangam Tamil Literature
• Yavana ships visiting Muziris with gold and leaving with Pepper
• Reference to Yavana guards and wine
• Reference to “Kalingam” as a type of fine clothe and “Vangam” as a type of boat
• Reference to Kaazhagam = Burma?
• Goods and clothes from southeast Asia
Material Culture
• Amphora
• Beads
• Ceramics
• Indian Rouletted ware
• Torpedo Jars and TGP of West Asian Origin
1st AD
2nd AD
3rd AD +
Roman coins in South Asia
Theodosius I (379-395 AD)
Dressel 2-4 amphora
Amphorae
Roberta Tomber
Turquoise Glazed Pottery [2009]
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Sherds of West Asian Torpedo Jars(50+186+142= 378) Durham University UK
Torpedo Jar sherds with interior lined with bitumen
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Torpedo Jars (2009)
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Amphora Sherds 20081035 sherds (177+286+572 ) ; British Museum, London
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AMPHORA JAR HANDLES
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Indian Material Evidence from the Western World
• Teak wood and textile from Berenike, Egypt
• Egypt to Vietnam – Indian Rouletted ware
• Rouletted ware was considered a Roman ware
• Now it is considered an Indian ware produced in the Bengal delta
Rouletted ware
Berenike
Sherd with Tamil Brahmi script & Indianpottery from Berenike
Pot with 7.5kg of Malabar black pepper at Berenike
Quseir al Qadhim, Egypt
Khor Rori, Oman
Southeast Asia
• Rouletted ware and other ceramics from Sembiran, Bali and many other sites
• High tin Bronze and beads
• Phu Khao Thong – Tamil-Brahmi
Khuan Luk Pat Museum –Touch stone –Tamil Brahmi 3-4th Century CE
Cultural Evidence from Interior Tamil Nadu
Rockshelters with Brahmi inscriptions and Carved beds
Rock Beds
Pottery with short Tamil-Brahmiinscriptions
Tamil Brahmi Inscriptions
• More than 50 on rock shelters
• More than 500 on potsherds
• 50 percent of them have words of Prakritorigin (I Mahadevan and Y.Subbarayalu)
• Mention about donation of merchants.
Ancient port sites of South India
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Maritime Connections in the historical Developments
• Internal Developments and Maritime connections were important for the development
• The maritime connections :“icing on the cake”
• External connections were important and gave momentum to the developments
• They were important for the developments in the coastal region (Tolkappiyam-Neytal)
Implications of the Maritime Connections
• Humans have short memories
• The recent theories on migrations of humans have helped to reinforce the idea that ancient humans were connected. In this interconnected world, keeping the connections is important.
• The maritime connections have a complementary role in development
• Movement of ideas, material culture and people and fusion of cultures have created new developments
Contemporary Context
• Modern nations have local compulsions
• While at one level looking inward is important,
Continuing the cultural connections is important considering the current world scenario
Relevance of Research on Social Sciences and Humanities
• The single most important historical lesson of the twentieth century was “Science and Technology” alone is not going to change the world
• Social Science education and research are very important
Indian Ocean Rim Initiative
• Cooperation in Cultural Heritage Management and especially coastal and underwater heritage
• Development of Heritage Tourism
• Joint Academic Research Projects
• Academic exchange and training programmes
Thank You
• The organisers