History, asked by shahid66, 1 year ago

what tells us that Arikamedu was a centre of trade with rome?

Answers

Answered by VipulPatial
3
Sir Mortimer Wheeler 1945, and Jean-Marie Casal conducted archaeological excavations there in 1947–1950. The site was identified as the port of Podouke, known as an "emporium" in the Periplus of the Erythraean Sea and Ptolemy. Digs have found Amphorae, Arretine ware, Roman lamps, glassware, glass and stone beads, and gems at the site. Based on these excavations, Wheeler concluded that the Arikamedu was a Greek (Yavana) trading post that traded with Rome, starting during the reign of Augustus Caesar, and lasted about two hundred years—from the late first century BCE to the first and second centuries CE. Subsequent investigation by Vimala Begley from 1989 to 1992 modified this assessment, and now place the period of occupation from the 2nd century BCE to the 8th century CE.

Significant findings at Arikamedu include numerous Indo-Pacific beads, which facilitated fixing the period of its origin. Red and black ceramics—known as megalithic stones or Pandukal in Tamil meaning "old stones" and used to mark graves—have existed at the site even prior to and during Roman occupation of the site, and also in later periods.


shahid66: i don't want so long answer
Answered by VaibhavDS
2
Do you know that there is a small town in India which will give you an experience of Rome? Arikamedu, an archaeological site in Kakkayanthope, Puducherry will give you a glimpse of Roman culture in our very own backyard. It was formerly a major Chola port dedicated to bead making and trading with Roman traders and was believed to be the only town to have ties with Rome.

Arikamedu, which means “eroding mud”, is located at around seven kilometres from Pondicherry.

Various Roman artifacts like containers bearing the mark of Roman potter schools VIBII, CAMURI and ITTA have been found here, which support the claims that there was trade between Rome and ancient Tamil India.

The city is located along the beautiful Ariyankuppam river and is believed to be the only city with an archaeological record of Roman presence in India. Having started out as a fishing village, Arikamedu soon became a unique bead-making site as it manufactured beads made of both stone and glass.

Various textiles, beads, terracotta artifacts and gold and semi precious jewellery were exported to Greco Roman ports and other countries in the East from Arikamedu. Arikamedu’s glass bead making site was considered as “mother of all bead centers” in the world.

Wines in amphora jars, cups and plates of Terra Sigillata (fine red Roman clay pots) and other various ceramic products were imported by Tamil while products like beads, terracotta objects, glass, gems, plants, spices were exported.

Terra Sigillata tableware have been found only in two places outside of Roman Empire, one of them being Arikamedu, which is one of the things that marks the existence of trade between the two regions.

Discovered in the 1930’s, the town was excavated three times in the 1940’s. The excavation credit of this place is often given to Mortimer Wheeler in 1945 as he was the most known archaeologist associated with it. But, according to this report in The Hindu, the ancient city was first excavated by French archaeologist residing at Pondicherry, Jouveau Dubreuil, and Dr. A. Aiyappan, the Superintendent of the Government Museum in Madras, four years before Wheeler came there.

‘‘The archaeological site where the ruins of the ancient city Arikamedu exist is fast disappearing. This is the only surviving site in south India which has a rare cultural continuity from 300 BC to 1800 AD,’’ says Suresh Pillai, an interdisciplinary artist and film maker.

~Wikipedia
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