Tyndis

Tondis on Peutinger Table (north of Templ Augusti and Lacus Muziris)

Tyndis (Ancient Greek: Τύνδις[1]) was an ancient Indian seaport/harbor-town mentioned in the Graeco-Roman writings. According to the Periplus of the Erythraean Sea, Tyndis was located north of port Muziris in the country of the Cerobothra (present-day Koyilandy Kerala).[2][3]

Previously, Tyndis was attributed to Thondi, a region ruled by the Pandya country in present day Tamil Nadu.[4] Alternatively, the Cheras of the early historical period (c. second century BCE - c. third century CE[5]) had their original centre at Karur in the interior Tamil Nadu and harbours at Muziris and Tyndis on the Malabar coast (Kerala).[5] Tyndis was a satellite feeding port to Muziris, according to the Periplus.[6] It was a major center of trade, next only to Muziris, between the Cheras and the Roman Empire.[7] Pliny the Elder (1st century CE) states that the port of Tyndis was located at the northwestern border of Keprobotos (Chera dynasty).[8] The North Malabar region, which lies north of the port at Tyndis, was ruled by the kingdom of Ezhimala during Sangam period.[9] According to the Periplus, a region known as Limyrike began at Naura and Tyndis. However the Ptolemy mentions only Tyndis as the Limyrike's starting point. The region probably ended at Kanyakumari; it thus roughly corresponds to the present-day Malabar Coast.

Names, routes and locations of the Periplus of the Erythraean Sea (1st century CE)

There are references to a port with the name Tondi, on the Kerala coast, in the early Tamil texts. It was under the control of the Chera rulers (probably via/under a collateral branch).[10][11] No archaeological evidence has been found for Tyndis.[10]

  1. ^ Periplus of the Erythraean Sea, 53 and 54
  2. ^ Gurukkal, R., & Whittaker, D. (2001). In search of Muziris. Journal of Roman Archaeology, 14, 334-350.
  3. ^ "Tyndis Port | Ancient Maritime Port in Malabar | Explore". Tyndis Heritage. Retrieved 12 May 2022.
  4. ^ Tamil Nadu State Department of Archeology. "Tamil Nadu governments excavation at Thondi port". Tamil Nadu State Department of Archeology.
  5. ^ a b Gurukkal 2015, pp. 26–27.
  6. ^ "Official website of Ponnani Municipality".
  7. ^ Coastal Histories: Society and Ecology in Pre-modern India, Yogesh Sharma, Primus Books 2010
  8. ^ Gurukkal, R., & Whittaker, D. (2001). In search of Muziris. Journal of Roman Archaeology, 14, 334-350.
  9. ^ A. Shreedhara Menon, A Survey of Kerala History
  10. ^ a b Selvakumar, V. (25 November 2016). K. S. Mathew (ed.). Imperial Rome, Indian Ocean Regions and Muziris: New Perspectives on Maritime Trade. Taylor & Francis. pp. 274–76. ISBN 978-1-351-99752-2.
  11. ^ "Classical Indo-Roman Trade". Economic and Political Weekly. 48 (26–27). 5 June 2015.