NVERSATION WITH PRAVEE

Wednesday November 26 2003 00:00 IST
http://www.newindpress.com/NewsItems.asp?ID=IER20031125112407&Title=Kerala&rLink=0

KOCHI: For the normal eye, they are just fragments of pottery. But for the
specialist eye of Southampton varsity scholar Roberta Tomber, these pieces
of clay are first fragile indicators that may help archaeologists solve the
mystery of the ancient Indian port of Muziris.

Roberta claims that the pottery pieces found by K P Shajan, a marine
geologist, from Pattanam near Paravoor, are parts of Roman wine amphora,
Mesopotamian torpedo jar and Yemenite storage jar. ``It is the first time
that we have found evidence in Malabar coast. The clay is very different
from what was used in India during the same period. A lot of black minerals
are present,'' she says.

If this claim is true, then the pieces are the first evidence of Roman
pottery to be found in Kerala. It also strengthens the theory that the port
of Muziris was in the belt of Kodungallur-Chettuva.

``These were found in Pattanam, north of Paravoor. The whole area is strewn
with pottery samples. Though many of them are of Indian origin, a few
pieces of Indo-Roman era were also found. A detail exploration of the area
will alone help establish this fact,'' Shajan, who chanced upon the
evidence during a geological survey, said.

There are several factors that strengthen our belief that these are
remnants of first century Roman trade. ``Pottery is considered a very
important evidence to solve an archaeological enigma. Here we work on
typology. Such examples have also been found during excavations in Egypt,''
Roberta says.

Age or other characteristics of pottery cannot be ascertained through
scientific methods like carbon dating. ``The only possibility is to compare
it with other similar finds. We will be soon taking it to Baroda
University,'' she says.

Before leaving for Baroda, Shajan and Roberta, who found time to reach the
Hill Palace to examine the pieces during her tour of India, will leave for
Madurai and Rameswaram to study similar examples found there. They will be
accompanied by P J Cheriyan, head of Kerala Council for Historical
Research.

``The KCHR has also contributed in this find and eventual study. We hope to
collect more samples from Rameswaram. Only typological comparison will help
substantiate our claim that the pottery from Pattanam belongs to Roman
era,'' he says.

``Once the origin and age of these pieces are confirmed, they can be
subjected to more study to pinpoint the location of Muziris. We have also
found corroborating evidence like coins from the Paravoor-Kodungalloor belt
to this claim,'' says Shajan.

But sources in the field say it is too early to conclude that Muziris was
in Kerala. ``This is a small sample. It also could be a stray find. The sea
samples were found several years ago. Only now they are coming forward with
the claim,'' a heritage specialist said.

``We were waiting for an expert like Roberta to confirm its identity. We
will now move ahead with other formalities to get clearance for further
exploration and excavation,'' Shajan says.