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Topic
Tamil Trade & Archaeology
Ancient Tamil Trade, Archaeological findings and Sea Voyages
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Ancient Tamil Trade
🚢 Tamils dominate world business
During the Sangam period Tamils did sea trade with Rome, Greece, Egypt, China and South East Asian countries. They exported pepper, pearls and silk.
🗺️ Business routes
🌊 Sea trade
- West:Rome, Greece, Egypt, Arabia
- East:China, Indonesia, Malaysia
- South:Sri Lanka, Maldives
🛤️ Land trade
- Silk Road:China - India - Rome
- Masala Path:Kerala - Arabia
- North Route:Ganga plain
⚓ Major ports
| port | Today's Name | Special | Literature reference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Complaint / Kaveripoompattinam | Bumbugar | Chola port | Silapathikaram, Pattinapalai |
| Murder | Near Tuticorin | The pearl trade | Fourteen hundred |
| Musiri | Kerala | The fur trade | Installed |
| Charity | Kerala | Export of pepper | Fourteen hundred |
| Mamallapuram | Mahabalipuram | Pallavar Port | UNESCO Site |
📦 Export & Import
📤 Export goods
- 🌶️Pepper:"Black Gold"
- 💎Pearl:Killing is special
- 🧵Silk & Cotton:Clothes
- 🪵Sandalwood:Aromatic substance
- 💍Diamonds, Beads:ornaments
- 🐘Ivory:Ivory
📥 Imported goods
- 🪙Roman gold coin
- 🍷Wine
- 🏺Pottery
- 🪨Coral, glass
- 🐴Horses:Arabia
🏛️ Rome - Tamil business
- Yavanar:A term referring to the Romans/Greeks
- Arikkamedu:Roma Commercial Residence (Pondicherry)
- Roman Coinage:Found in Karur, Madurai
- Periplus:Greek Trade Book - Tamil Ports Note
- Pliny:"India Absorbs Fur Wealth"
📚 Sangha Literary Evidence
- Starvation Milk:Complaint Port Commentary - Storefront Patu
- Maduraikanji:Madurai Business - Mangudi Marudanar
- Syllabus:Complaint, Madurai Business Profile
- Four hundred:Yavanar trade, shipping
🎯 Shortcuts
Port:Complaint-murder-mouth-throat |Export:Pepper-Pearl-Silk |Yavanar:Romer
Major Archaeological Surveys of Tamil Nadu
🏺 Ancient Tamil Civilization Evidence
Excavations like Keezadi, Adichanallur, Kodumanal, Arikamedu have proved the antiquity of Tamil civilization to the world.
🏛️ Keeladi (Keeladi) - very important!
📋 Basic information
| Place | Sivagangai District |
| Start of study | 2015 |
| Period | 6th Century BCE |
| civilisation | Vaigai civilization |
🔍 Key findings
- ✅ Tamil-Brahmi script
- ✅ Iron and steel products
- ✅ Ceramics
- ✅ Accessories
- ✅ Chess game piece
- Building remains
⭐ Bottom line importance
- Evidence of Pre-Sangma City Civilization
- Proof that Tamil script existed since 6th BCE
- Contemporaneous with or earlier than the Indus Outer Civilization
🏺 Adichanallur
📋 Information
- Location:Tuticorin District
- Duration:1000 BCE - 800 BCE
- Research:1876 (Dr. Jagor)
- Specialty:Iron Age
🔍 Discoveries
- Burial Urns
- Iron weapons
- Gold ornaments
- Bone nests
🗿 Other important archaeological sites
| site | District | Period | Special |
|---|---|---|---|
| coarse sand | Erode | 5th BCE | Manufacture of gold jewellery |
| Arikkamedu | Puducherry | 1st CE | Roman commercial residence |
| Bumbugar | Nagapattinam | Union period | A submerged city |
| Vrayur | Trichy | Union period | Chola capital |
| Karur | Karur | Union period | Roman coins |
| Mankulam | Madurai | 3rd BCE | Pandyan inscription |
✍️ Tamil-Brahmi script
- Duration:6th BCE - 2nd CE
- Places:Keezadi, Mankulam, Pulimankombai
- Specialty:The archaic script of Tamil
- Inscriptions:100+ discoveries
🎯 Shortcuts
Bottom line:Sivagangai + 6th BCE + Vaigai |Adhichanallur:Tuticorin + Iron Age |Arikkamedu:The fur trade
Ancient Tamil Sea Voyages
⛵ Sailors - Tamils
Tamils are experts in sea travel. They spread the Tamil civilization throughout Southeast Asia. The Chola Navy was the best in the world.
🚢 Shipbuilding
🛶 Vessel types
- Boat:Small sea voyage
- Navai:Large merchant ship
- Cell:battleship
- Dhoni:River boat
🪵 Ship technology
- Tree:Teak, Punnai
- Mat:Cotton fabric
- Compass:Star Guide
- Anchor:Stone, iron
🌏 Countries that went by sea
| Country | Ancient name | Tamil influence |
|---|---|---|
| Sri Lanka | Elam | Tamil settlement, trade |
| Indonesia | Java, Sumatra | Chola invasion, temples |
| Malaysia | slag | Business, inscriptions |
| Thailand | Siam | Hindu temples |
| Cambodia | Cambodia | Angkor Wat - Tamil influence |
| Vietnam | Samba | Shiva temples |
⚓ Chola Navy
🏆 Rajendra Cholan I
- Invasion of Ghatram (1025 CE)
- Srivijayam victory
- "Seafaring Cholan"
- Cholapuram with the Ganga
🎯 Successes
- Kataram (Malaysia)
- Srivijayam (Sumatra)
- Andaman-Nicobar
- Maldives
📚 Literary evidence
- Starvation Milk:Shipbuilding, port specification
- Hourglass:Sea voyage, Shipwreck, Manipallavam Island
- Syllabus:Complaint port, sea trade
- Chapter 149:Arrival of Yavanar ship
🌴 Traces of Tamil in Southeast Asia
- Inscriptions:Tamil inscription - Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia
- Temples:Hindu Temples - Angkor Wat, Prambanan
- Words:1000+ Tamil words - Malay, Javanese
- Currencies:Chola coins - Indonesia
🎯 Shortcuts
Rajendran:1025 + Katharam |Ghee:Malaysia |Srivijayam:Sumatra
🎯 Tamil Business & Archeology - Master Shortcuts
🧠 Memory Sutra: "Business-Tol-Sea"
BusinessGum -A nuisanceLyall -the seatravel
⚓ Ports Shortcuts
Remembrance Sutra: "Bukha-Kor-Musi-Thon-Ma"
| PugaR | Cholar Port - Silapattikaram |
| killarm | Pearl Business - Thoothukudi |
| MusiRi | Fur Trade - Kerala |
| CharityD | Export of pepper - Kerala |
| MaMallapuram | Pallavar Port - UNESCO |
🏺 Archeology Sites Shortcuts
| site | District | Period | Special Keyword |
|---|---|---|---|
| bottom | Sivaganga | 6th BCE | Vaigai civilization, Tamil-Brahmi |
| Adhichanallur | Tuticorin | 1000 BCE | Elderly cloth, iron |
| coarse sand | Erode | 5th BCE | Gold jewelry |
| Arikkamedu | Puducherry | 1st CE | Roman commercial residence |
Memory formula:"Kee-ah-ko-ah" = Keezadi + Adichanallur + Kodumanal + Arikamedu
⚓ Chola Navy Shortcuts
| Rajendran I | Invasion of Gadaram - 1025 CE |
| slag | = Malaysia (Kedah) |
| Srivijayam | = Sumatra (Indonesia) |
| degree | Cholan with the Ganges |
📦 Export-Import Shortcuts
📤 Export: "mi-mu-pa-sa-wa"
- MrLagu (Black Gold)
- MThu
- pTo
- ChNdanam
- WYaram
📥 Import: "ta-ma-ma-pa-gu"
- ThNga currency
- MWine
- MTgalan
- pResource
- KuScreen
📝 TNPSC Main Questions
- Where is the bottom:Sivagangai District
- Downtime:6th Century BCE
- Adhichanallur Specialties:Old people are poor
- Arikkamedu:Roman commercial residence
- Pearl Commercial Port:Murder
- Yavanar:Romans / Greeks
- Invasion of Kataram:Rajendran I - 1025 CE
- Gadaram =Malaysia
- Cholar Port:Complaint / Kaveripoompattinam
- Pepper Name:Black Gold
📊 Master Comparison Table
| Type | Name | Place | Special |
|---|---|---|---|
| port | complaint | Nagapattinam | Chola |
| Murder | Tuticorin | Pearl | |
| Musiri | Kerala | The fur trade | |
| Charity | Kerala | Pepper | |
| Archaeology | bottom | Sivaganga | 6th BCE |
| Adhichanallur | Tuticorin | Iron Age | |
| coarse sand | Erode | Gold | |
| Arikkamedu | Puducherry | Rome |
💡 Final Master Formula
Business:Complain-murder-mushiri + pepper-pearl-silk
Archaeology:Keezhadi (6th BCE) + Adichanallur (Iron)
Sea:Rajendran + 1025 + Gadaram