During the Classical Period (300 BC-400 AD), the Indian Ocean emerged as one of the largest hubs of ancient international trade. For a long period, these contacts were described from a Rome-centric point of view, looking at the connections between Rome and India. However, recent studies have demonstrated that the Roman-Indo connection was only one of the vast medium and short distance trade routes involving numerous regions and populations, exchanging goods and culture. Current archaeological investigations have demonstrated that several minor trade dynamics formed the primary connective tissue of the Indian Ocean. This study attempts to trace these mid-range connections by focusing on the transport of torpedo jars, recently found in several settlements throughout the Indian Ocean. Two archaeological sites were considered: Al Hamr al-Sharqiya 1 (Inqitat, southern Oman), and the port of Alagankulam (southern India). An analytical protocol based on thin sections analysis, SEM-EDS, XRD and GC/MS was applied to a selection of fragments from the two archaeological sites. The analytical investigation carried out on these vessels identified three different ceramic compositions, which distributed differently in the two sites, characterized by a black coating due to a similar bitumen source. The location of the production sites and comparative studies between these vessels and reference materials available in the literature enabled us to cast new light on the routes followed by the torpedo jars, from Mesopotamia to India and Oman.
This research is part of a wider scientific Italian-Indo project finalised to shed lights on pottery fabrication and trade circulation in Tamil Nadu region during Early Historical Period. The recent archaeological excavations carried out in Alagankulam—a famous harbour trading with the eastern and western world—and in Keeladi—the most ancient civilization centre attested in Tamil Nadu region—provided numerous fragments of archaeological ceramics. The typological analysis enabled the identification of different pottery classes, suggesting the presence of local productions, possible imports and imitations. Studied shards included common Indian vessels, fine wares and luxury ware repertoire. The provenance identification of some of the studied typologies is still debated in the literature; for long time, the misattribution of several ceramic classes has led to wrong interpretations on the commercial connections between India and the Western and Eastern Mediterranean area. The minero-petrographic and spectroscopic investigation of several ceramic fragments from the two investigated archaeological sites enabled the systematic compositional characterization of specific ceramic classes both locally manufactured and imported. The obtained results contributed to draw short-range and long-range connections in Tamil Nadu area.
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