Fwd: Article from The Hindu: Sent to you by Sundeep Abraham

[Sundeep Abraham]

Please see the article below.

http://www.hinduonnet.com/2009/05/03/stories/2009050356481800.htm

This is the updated information regarding the Pattanam Archaeological site near the very ancient St. Thomas Church in Paravur. Now, the Kerala archaeologists are convinced that there was a thriving civilization in Kerala during the 1st to 4th century which had strong connections with West Asia and Roman Empire. This settings serve the right background for St. Thomas to have arrived at this vibrant colony to preach the word of God amongst the Jews in Pattanam. This brings to an end the myopic view of Kerala Historians that there was no civilization in Kerala till the 8-9th century.

Now that the evidence upto the 4th century has been established, and the fact that there were many kinds of artisans involved at Pattanam till the 4th century, we hope that over the next couple of years we will discover Mahadevarpattanam where the ancient Knanaya community settled from the 4th century and controlled the artisan community (I think we can kick the armchair historians who tried to argue that there could not have been a Knanaya migration in the 4th century on their backside). We are very close to the history of our ancient forefathers. Let us all pray that the Lord shall reveal to us the truth.

Patience is a virtue, but patience combined with hardwork is what God wants of us. If we really need to know who we are, we should yearn for it and seek that knowledge. This is what I have learnt over the last 12 years and this is why my perseverence has borne fruit. The Lord has answered my prayers and our forefathers will be proud if we can honor their sacrifice for our comforts by correctly documenting their pains and endeavors rather than finding faults in their deeds.

Best regards,

Sundeep Abraham
Thamarappally

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Source: The Hindu (http://www.hinduonnet.com/2009/05/03/stories/2009050356481800.htm)
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Pattanam richest Indo-Roman site on Indian Ocean rim




C. Gouridasan Nair




Most Roman amphora sherds are found there




West Asian contacts predates the Roman contactsLife on the site was facilitated by artisan groups





&#8212; PHOTO: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT



Brick structure assumed to be of the early historic period (2nd century BC-4th century AD).


THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The three-year archaeological excavations undertaken by the Kerala Council for Historical Research (KCHR) at Pattanam, north of Kochi, begun in 2007, have yielded the richest haul of Roman amphora sherds ever found from an Indo-Roman site on the Indian Ocean rim.
KCHR Director P.J. Cherian has said the third season (2009) excavations added weight to the assumption that Pattanam might be the oldest port site with extensive evidence of Roman contacts on the Indian Ocean rim. The peak of Roman contacts seemed to have been between the 1st century BC and the 2nd century AD.
The number of amphora sherds in the third season &#8212; around 500 &#8212; is more than that found in the last season though the area excavated was much lesser.
The initial inference from the field is that the majority comprises the Campanian type of south Italian origin with volcanic elements. Greek sources such as Kos and Rhodes and Egyptian and Mesopotamian amphora sherds have also been found. Pattanam has yielded more Roman amphora sherds (over 1,000) than any other site on the Indian Ocean rim, Dr. Cherian said in a press note here.

West Asian contacts



Another important inference of this season&#8217;s work is that the West Asian contacts predate the Roman contacts on the site. In all the three trenches excavated this year, glazed pottery (TGP) of Mesopotamian origin and rouletted pottery have been found in the Iron-Age-early historic transition layers. Amphora sherds are conspicuous by their absence. This means the site could have been commercially active before the arrival of the Romans, before the 2nd century BC. However, the site&#8217;s &#8216;floruit&#8217; (peak period) seems to have been between the 2nd century BC and the 4th century AD.
The evidence further points to the possibility that the site had the benefit of the services of a large number of artisans and technicians, though not necessarily residing there.
The plethora of artefacts and structures indicates that this site could not have been provisioned without a skilled workforce of blacksmiths (large quantity of iron objects such as nails and tools), coppersmiths (copper objects), goldsmiths (ornaments), potters (huge quantity of domestic vessels, lamps, oven and other terracotta objects), brickmakers, bricklayers, roofers (large quantity of bricks and triple grooved roof-tiles), stone beadmakers, lapidaries (as indicated by a variety of semi-precious stone beads, cameo blanks and stone debitage), weavers (signified spindle whorls and jerry) and stonecutters/polishers.
Soil loci of blackish and grey hues indicate some type of kiln activity. Chemical analyses of the soil samples are necessary to confirm the nature of industrial activity, Dr. Cherian said.

Architectural features



The excavations during the last two years yielded architectural features, a wharf structure, a canoe, bollards, copper, gold and iron objects, semi-precious stone and glass beads, early Chera coins and late medieval Chinese sherds and a variety of eco-facts, including pepper, cardamom and rice. The site seems to have been first occupied by an indigenous population around 1,000 BC and continued to be active till the 10th century AD.
The AMS 14C (a carbon-dating method using accelerator mass spectrometry) analysis of the charcoal and wood samples from the Iron Age layer and wharf contexts have determined their antiquity as first millennium BC. The British Academy (BASAS) recently accorded recognition for the formation of an international research group based on Pattanam.
The third season excavations began on March 3 and will continue till the first week of May. This time also, the trenches produced structural remains and huge quantities of reused bricks and broken roof tiles. The intact bricks measured 40x20x7 cm. Local pottery sherds numbering over four lakh imply the density of habitation on the site, Dr. Cherian said.

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