Question map
Name the site that gives us valuable information about India's maritime links on the coromandel coast.
Explanation
Arikamedu (often spelled Arikainedu in older or variant texts) is a premier archaeological site located near Puducherry on the Coromandel Coast of India [1]. Excavations, most notably by Sir Mortimer Wheeler in 1945, identified it as a major Indo-Roman trading station [1]. The site provides extensive evidence of maritime links, including Roman coins, Mediterranean amphorae used for wine and olive oil, and specialized bead-making industries [1]. Known to the Greco-Roman world as 'Poduke' in the Periplus of the Erythraean Sea, it served as a vital hub for trade between the Tamil country and the Roman Empire from the 1st century BCE to the 2nd century CE. While Bharukachchha (Bharuch) was a major port on the west coast, Arikamedu remains the definitive site for maritime history on the eastern Coromandel Coast [1].
Sources
- [1] History , class XI (Tamilnadu state board 2024 ed.) > Chapter 6: Polity and Society in Post-Mauryan Period > 6.4 Trade Between Tamizhagam and Rome > p. 83