Kodumanal
Topic: Sangam Age and Early South India · NCERT: Class 7, Ch 4 "New Beginnings: Cities and States"; Class 12, Ch 2 "Kings, Farmers and Towns"
Meaning
Kodumanal is an archaeological site near Erode, Tamil Nadu. It was a centre of craft production in the early historic period, the time of the Sangam age. Workers there made beads from precious and semi-precious stones, and also worked with shell and gemstones. It shows that south India's rich stone resources were turned into goods for trade.
Example
Beads and gemstones made at Kodumanal were probably carried by local traders to coastal ports. These are the ports named in the Periplus of the Erythraean Sea, a guide written by a Greek sailor in c. 1st century CE. That text lists transparent stones, diamonds and sapphires among the goods exported from south India.
Don't confuse with
- Arikamedu: a coastal port site near present-day Puducherry, linked to trade by sea. Kodumanal lies inland and was a place where goods were made.