Muziris

For the spider genus, see Muziris (spider).

Muziris
Muciri
Muziris, as shown in the 4th century Tabula Peutingeriana
Muziris is located in India
Muziris
Shown within India
Alternative nameMuyirikkode
LocationPattanam, Kerala, India[1]
RegionChera Kingdom
TypeSettlement

Muchiri (IPA: [mutːʃiɾi]), commonly anglicized as Muziris (Ancient Greek: Μουζιρίς,[2] Old Malayalam: Muciri or Muciripattanam[3] possibly identical with the medieval Muyirikode[4]) was an ancient harbour[5] and an urban centre on the Malabar Coast.[3] Muziris found mention in the Periplus of the Erythraean Sea, the bardic Tamil poems and a number of classical sources.[6][7][8][9] It was the major ancient port city of Cheras. The exact location of Muziris has been a matter of dispute among historians and archaeologists. However, excavations since 2004 at Pattanam in Ernakulam district of Kerala have led some experts to suggesting the hypothesis that the city was located just there.[1][8][3] It was an important trading port for Christian and Muslim merchants arriving from other countries.

Muziris was a key to the interactions between South India and Persia, the Middle East, North Africa, and the (Greek and Roman) Mediterranean region.[10][11] Pliny the Elder, in his Natural History, hailed Muziris as "the first emporium of India".[3] The important known commodities exported from Muziris were spices (such as black pepper and malabathron), semi-precious stones (such as beryl), pearls, diamonds, sapphires, ivory, Chinese silk, Gangetic spikenard and tortoise shells. The Roman navigators brought gold coins, peridots, thin clothing, figured linens, multicoloured textiles, sulfide of antimony, copper, tin, lead, coral, raw glass, wine, realgar and orpiment.[12][13] The locations of unearthed coin-hoards from Pattanam suggest an inland trade link from Muziris via the Palghat Gap and along the Kaveri Valley to the east coast of India. Though the Roman trade declined from the 5th century AD, the former Muziris attracted the attention of other nationalities, particularly the Persians, the Chinese and the Arabs, presumably until the devastating floods of Periyar in 1341.[7][3]

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

Earlier Muziris was identified with the region around Mangalore in southwestern Karnataka.[14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23] Later hypothesis was that it was situated around present day Kodungallur, a town and Taluk in Thrissur district.[24] Kodungallur in central Kerala figures prominently in the ancient history of southern India from the second Chola period as a hub of the Chera rulers.[25] But later, a series of excavations were conducted at the village of Pattanam in between North Paravoor and Kodungallur by Kerala Council for Historical Research (an autonomous institution outsourced by the Kerala State Department of Archaeology) in 2006-07 and it was announced that the lost "port" of Muziris was found and started the new hypothesis.[8][26][27] This identification of Pattanam as the ancient Muziris also sparked controversy among historians.[28]

As per texts, Kerala is known to have traded spices since the Sangam era; it is based on this trade that some historians have implied that only foreign countries needed spices (pepper). Some historians and archaeologists criticized this view starting a debate among historians of South India.[29][30][31]

  1. ^ a b Muthiah, S. (24 April 2017). "The ancient ports of India". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 7 May 2022.
  2. ^ Periplus of the Erythraean Sea, 53 and 54
  3. ^ a b c d e "Lost cities #3 – Muziris: did black pepper cause the demise of India's ancient port? | Cities | The Guardian". theguardian.com. Retrieved 7 May 2022.
  4. ^ A. Sreedhara Menon (1967). "Muchiri - A Survey of Kerala History". Retrieved 20 April 2016.
  5. ^ Gurukkal, Rajan (29 June 2013). "A Misnomer in Political Economy: Classical Indo-Roman Trade". Economic & Political Weekly. 48 (26–27). Retrieved 24 April 2020.
  6. ^ "Artefacts from the lost Port of Muziris." The Hindu. 3 December 2014.
  7. ^ a b "Muziris, at last?" R. Krishnakumar, www.frontline.in Frontline, 10–23 April 2010.
  8. ^ a b c "Pattanam richest Indo-Roman site on Indian Ocean rim." The Hindu. 3 May 2009.
  9. ^ George Menachery; Werner Chakkalakkal (10 January 2001). "Cranganore: Past and Present". Kodungallur – The Cradle of Christianity in India. Retrieved 11 May 2016.
  10. ^ Cyclopaedia of India and of Eastern and Southern Asia. Ed. by Edward Balfour (1871), Second Edition. Volume 2. p. 584.
  11. ^ "Search for India's ancient city". bbc.co.uk BBC World News, 11 June 2006. Web [1]
  12. ^ Steven E. Sidebotham. Berenike and the Ancient Maritime Spice Route, pp 191. University of California Press 2011
  13. ^ George Gheverghese Joseph (2009). A Passage to Infinity. New Delhi: SAGE Publications Pvt. Ltd. pp. 13. ISBN 978-81-321-0168-0.
  14. ^ J. Sturrock (1894). Madras District Manuals - South Canara (Volume-I). Madras Government Press.
  15. ^ Harold A. Stuart (1895). Madras District Manuals - South Canara (Volume-II). Madras Government Press.
  16. ^ Government of Madras (1905). Madras District Gazetteers: Statistical Appendix for South Canara District. Madras Government Press.
  17. ^ Government of Madras (1915). Madras District Gazetteers South Canara (Volume-II). Madras Government Press.
  18. ^ William Logan (1887). Malabar Manual (Volume-I). Madras Government Press.
  19. ^ William Logan (1887). Malabar Manual (Volume-II). Madras Government Press.
  20. ^ Charles Alexander Innes (1908). Madras District Gazetteers Malabar (Volume-I). Madras Government Press.
  21. ^ Charles Alexander Innes (1915). Madras District Gazetteers Malabar (Volume-II). Madras Government Press.
  22. ^ C. Achutha Menon (1911). The Cochin State Manual. Cochin Government Press.
  23. ^ Sreedhara Menon, A. (January 2007). Kerala Charitram (2007 ed.). Kottayam: DC Books. ISBN 978-81-264-1588-5. Retrieved 19 July 2020.
  24. ^ Romila Thapar. There is no mention of Trade via Sea-Route or of any ports during Sangam era. It were the Vikings who created first of ships which could cross sea, let alone ocean. The Scanidinavians used their ships to cross the sea and reach nearby countryside in Europe, and all that happened in early 12th century. The Penguin History of Early India: From the Origins to AD 1300. pp 46, Penguin Books India, 2003
  25. ^ Krishnakumar, P. "Muziris, at last?". www.frontline.in Frontline, 10–23 April 2010. Web. [2]
  26. ^ Basheer, K. P. M. "Pattanam finds throw more light on trade". The Hindu [Madras]. 12 June 2011. Web. [3]
  27. ^ Smitha, Ajayan. "Traces of controversies". Deccan Chronicle. 20 Feb. 2013. Web. [4]
  28. ^ "Expert nails false propaganda on Muziris". newindianexpress.com. Archived from the original on 21 February 2014.
  29. ^ "Historian cautions on Pattanam excavations". The Hindu [Madras]. 6 February 2012. Web. [5]
  30. ^ "Archaeologist calls for excavations at Kodungalloor". The Hindu [Madras]. 5 August 2011. Web. [6]
  31. ^ "KCHR asked to hand over Pattanam excavation". ibnlive.in.com CNN-IBN, 16 November 2011. Web. [7]