The discovery of Roman pottery remains in Naduvirapattu, near Tambaram, has once again thrown light on the extensive trade between southern India and Rome more than 2,000 years ago. The latest findings seem to indicate that the Roman traders travelled inland and may have had temporary settlements there.
Naduvirapattu may have been a transit point en-route to Kancheepuram, which was a centre for manufacturing textiles, says Jinu Koshy, assistant professor in the history and archaeology department of Madras Christian College who led the team that found the remains.
The team dug up pieces of Roman amphoras, or pots, that were used to store wine.
Naduvirapattu is only the most recent instance of Roman contact with ancient Tamil country. Thousands of coins—gold, silver and copper—found in Karur, carrying portraits of famous Roman kings, showed that the contacts were extensive. Other notable sites for Roman remains in Tamil Nadu include Arikamedu, Kancheepuram and Alangudi in Pudukkottai.
Tamil country was one of the many teeming marketplaces of the ancient world. While globalization today may be about computers, software and American soda, 2,000 years ago, it involved silk, spices, ivory and jewellery. The Romans used pepper in everything—from their food to wines, sweets and medicines. And they paid for it in gold.
The Roman presence in the State has also been supported by literary references, including in Sangam works. The Yavanas—the term used by Tamils for Romans—left their own mark on Tamil society. They probably taught Tamils to make round coins instead of square ones.
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