Economy, Trade & Statecraft
Muziris and the spice trade
early centuries CEAncient Kerala portsKerala coast (Pattanam candidate)Kerala
1 CE
A famed emporium exporting pepper and spices to Rome, recorded in the Periplus and a Roman trade papyrus.
- Dated
- 1–300 CE
- As scholars put it
- early centuries CE
- Originator
- Ancient Kerala ports
- Source text
- Kerala coast (Pattanam candidate)
- Region
- Kerala
- Discipline
- Economy, Trade & Statecraft
- Evidence
- Documented
- Confidence
- Medium
- Verification
- Reference-cited
Meanwhile in the West
Central to the Roman appetite for Indian spice.
Fair to say
The exact location of Muziris is debated (Pattanam is a leading candidate).
Path to modern innovation
An anchor of the ancient Indian Ocean economy.
Builds on
1,000 BCETransmission
Drove large flows of Roman gold into India.
References
- 1Periplus of the Erythraean Sea
- 2Pattanam excavations
Further reading
Corrections and additional sources: edit IND-204 on GitHub.