Viggen Posted November 30, 2003 Report Share Posted November 30, 2003 For the normal eye, they are just fragments of pottery. But for the specialist eye of Southampton varsity scholar Roberta Tomber, these pieces of clay are first fragile indicators that may help archaeologists solve the mystery of the ancient Indian port of Muziris. Roberta claims that the pottery pieces found by K P Shajan, a marine geologist, from Pattanam near Paravoor, are parts of Roman wine amphora, Mesopotamian torpedo jar and Yemenite storage jar. "It is the first time that we have found evidence in Malabar coast. The clay is very different from what was used in India during the same period. A lot of black minerals are present," she says. If this claim is true, then the pieces are the first evidence of Roman pottery to be found in Kerala. It also strengthens the theory that the port of Muziris was in the belt of Kodungallur-Chettuva. full article at Keral News Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest kunjethy Posted July 15, 2004 Report Share Posted July 15, 2004 Prof. George Menachery from India wrote on July 16. 2004, 00:00: E-mail: kunjethy@yahoo.com URL: http://www.indianchristianity.com -- Glad to see that the digs made by Dr. Shajan and Selvakumar (CHS) at Pattanam or Pathanam or Pazhnam shedding evidence though tentatively on the ancient Muziris is being widely noticed by scholars all over the world. Here one might say that even in the 16th - 17th centuries Pattanam was considered to be the ancient Muziris. This is mentioned in George Menachery, Kodungallur City of St. Thomas, 1987, and in its reprint , 2000. For exhaustive details concerning the views of ancients and moderns - both Indians and non-Indians, including Greeks, Romans,....Sangham poets, modern historians... see Chapters I and II of the book mentioned. Earlier many had asked for excavations in and around Cranganore, Mahodayapuram, Kodungallur, Mahadevarpattanam, Thiruvanchikkulam, Cheraman Paraambu etc. Anujan Achan had many decades back made some enlightened guesses and insisted on excavations. But the governments and the universities and archaeology depts. were reluctant to go forward with scientific excavations for one reason or other. We are all glad that Shajan, Selvakumar, and Gopi & co have made a beginning - and what a beginning. Congratulations! For those who want to learn more about the history of Muziris, Muchiri, Kodungallur, Paravur, and Pattanam given below are two website pages: http://www.indianchristianity.com/html/Books.htm http://www.thinkers.net/writer/kodungallur.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Viggen Posted July 17, 2004 Author Report Share Posted July 17, 2004 Hello kunjethy and welcome at UNRV.com! Thanks for the additional infos, hope you will keep us up to date... cheers viggen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest kunjethy Posted July 28, 2004 Report Share Posted July 28, 2004 The great interest created by the discovery of an early historical period (c. 1stC.-5th C. CE)site displaying artefacts including a Chera coin depicting elephant, ankusha, bow & arrow, pottery, part of a Roman amphora, three channelled tiles, bricks used in a human settlement, ringwells etc. is being extensively commented on. This interest is clear from the many small gatherings which have discussed the issue, and the wide coverage received for the finds and their significance in the press and other media. A two day seminar conducted at Thrissur (Trichur) City in the Sahitya Academy Halls and an exhibition of the finds themselves both organised by the Kerala Historical Reseaarch Society were attended by an unprecedented gathering of experts and laymen from the fields of archaeology, history, geology, place-name studies, numismatics etc. Among the speakers were Dr. Shajan and Dr. Selvakumar themselves, along with P.K.Gopi of the Centre for Heritage Studies of the Kerala Govt. Dept. of Archaeology, in addition to Dr. M. G. S. Narayanan, Devadass, Prof. George Menachery, Dr. Cheriyan (Director KCHR),Velayudhan Panikkassery, and many others. The fact that the interest is not waning is clear from the many pronouncements made by the Minister in charge of the Archaeology portfolio Mr. T. M. Jacob, and the MLAs or members of the legislative assembly for Pattanam and Kodungallur Ms. Chandrasekharan and Umesh Chulliyil. Many articles are coming out on Muziris, Cranganore or Kodungallur, and Pattanam or Pashnam near Parur. There are many reports coming from the Chettuwai, Arthat, Kunnamkulam, Palayur belt also about statements and comments about these finds.The collections of first century Roman gold and silver coins found near Palayur and Parur, mostly with the Archaeology Dept., are attracting a great deal of media attention after the Pattanam - Muziris discoveries. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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