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Class 12 student stumbles upon stone linking Kerala with Roman Empire

Last Updated 04 October 2020, 08:24 IST

When 12 grader Pravitha P A found a ‘button’ at an excavation site in Pattanam, which also happened to be her uncle K S Sukumaran’s backyard, little did she know the relevance of the bauble. P J Cherian, director of PAMA Institute, a Kerala-based Trust that led the excavation, instantly knew the button was a rare find, The Indian Express reports.

After thorough correspondence over three months, experts came to the following conclusions - the 1.2 cm-long object was most probably part of a seal-ring, akin to one worn by Augustus Caesar.

The discovery of the stone is another piece of evidence that re-asserts that modern-day Pattanam could be Muziris, the iconic port city that flourished between 1st century BC and 4th century AD.

Muziris flourished after the fall of Egypt to Rome and was a pivotal trading area between the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean. Trade of pepper, precious stones, ivory, pottery from Muziris to West Asia and Rome was the norm.

Muziris lost its sheen not much later, either due to the decline of the Roman empire or due to the silting of its harbours by a flood.

The ring could have reached modern-day Pattanam, through traders or through merchants. Several thousand seals would have been in existence during the time, each authorised by the emperor and used on his behalf.

Another possibility is that the seal was produced in Pattanam itself.

“Wastage of the banded agate precious stone (on which the Sphinx was carved) was found in the same trench, along with cameo blanks, indicating that there was a lapidary workshop in Pattanam 2,000 years ago,” P J Cherian told the publication.

The 66 trenches excavated in the village so far constitute less than 1 per cent of the 111 acres of the Pattanam archaeological mound.

The mammoth task of working through it lies ahead of Cherian and his team.

“A beautiful world where there was openness of mind. We are yet to find a weapon in Pattanam,” Cherian told the publication when asked about how he envisioned Muziris.

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(Published 04 October 2020, 06:03 IST)

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