Lesson plan
Muziris
Muciṟi ( , Old Tamil: Muciṟi; ), also Muchiri, Classical Graeco-Roman toponym Muziris/Mouziris ( ), was an ancient port and urban centre on the Malabar Coast, southern India. It was located near the mouth of the Periyar River in the Chera country of Tamilakam. Muziris is celebrated in several ancient Tamil sources (the Sangam Literature or the early Tamil poems) and Graeco-Roman Classical texts, such as the Periplus and the writings of Pliny the Elder, especially for its importance in the Indian Ocean spice trade with the Middle East and the Mediterranean world. A 2nd-century papyrus notably describes a cargo loan arrangement between merchants of Alexandria (Egypt) and Muziris, detailing goods loaded onto a ship at Muziris for trade. For many centuries Muziris remained an important port in southern India, presumably until the devastating "floods" of the Periyar River in 1341 CE. It has also been speculated that Muziris may be identical with the medieval "Muyirikode" (Kodungallur) near the Periyar estuary. The exact location of the ancient port has long been a matter of dispute among historians and archaeologists. Earlier, it was believed to have been located in the region around Kodungallur (Thrissur) in the state of Kerala. Excavations conducted since 2007 at Pattanam, near North Paravur (Ernakulam) in Kerala, have led some experts to favour that location. (1st century AD)
Article summary
Muciṟi ( , Old Tamil: Muciṟi; ), also Muchiri, Classical Graeco-Roman toponym Muziris/Mouziris ( ), was an ancient port and urban centre on the Malabar Coast, southern India. It was located near the mouth of the Periyar River in the Chera country of Tamilakam. Muziris is celebrated in several ancient Tamil sources (the Sangam Literature or the early Tamil poems) and Graeco-Roman Classical texts, such as the Periplus and the writings of Pliny the Elder, especially for its importance in the Indian Ocean spice trade with the Middle East and the Mediterranean world. A 2nd-century papyrus notably describes a cargo loan arrangement between merchants of Alexandria (Egypt) and Muziris, detailing goods loaded onto a ship at Muziris for trade. For many centuries Muziris remained an important port in southern India, presumably until the devastating "floods" of the Periyar River in 1341 CE. It has also been speculated that Muziris may be identical with the medieval "Muyirikode" (Kodungallur) near the Periyar estuary. The exact location of the ancient port has long been a matter of dispute among historians and archaeologists. Earlier, it was believed to have been located in the region around Kodungallur (Thrissur) in the state of Kerala. Excavations conducted since 2007 at Pattanam, near North Paravur (Ernakulam) in Kerala, have led some experts to favour that location. (1st century AD)
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Discussion questions
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