Tamil Brahmi Inscriptions in Egypt

Why in News?

Recently, Tamil Brahmi inscriptions found in Egypt’s Valley of the Kings reveal ancient Indian–Roman trade and cultural links.

• Location – Found in six tombs of the Theban Necropolis (Nile Valley, Egypt).
• Key Discovery – Script – Around 30 inscriptions were newly discovered.
• Language – Tamil Brahmi, Prakrit and Sanskrit.
• Chronology – Dated to 1st–3rd Century CE.
• Origin of Visitors – Indians from north-western, western and southern regions of the subcontinent, with visitors from Tamilagam forming the majority.
• Nature of Inscriptions – Names and short graffiti carved on walls, corridors and entrances.
• Followed the Greek tradition of leaving names in tombs.
• Spatial Spread – Evidence of Indians travelling beyond Red Sea ports into the Nile Valley.
• Names Identified – Cikai Koṟṟaṉ – Repeated 8 times across 5 tombs.
  • Cikai – Linked to Sanskrit śikhā (tuft/crown).
  • Koṟṟaṉ – From Tamil koṟṟam (victory/slaying); linked to goddess Koṟṟavai.
• Kopāṉ – “Kopāṉ came and saw”; name found in Ammankovilpatti, Tamil Nadu.
• Other Names – Cātaṉ and Kiraṉ.
• Historical Linkages – Appears in Sangam corpus (Chera king Piṭtāṅkoṟṟaṉ).
• Similar inscriptions at Pugalur (2nd–3rd Century CE).
• Significance – Trade Linkages – Confirms Indo-Roman maritime trade involving Tamil merchants.
• Cultural Continuity – Links of overseas names to the Sangam corpus and domestic inscriptions.
• Diaspora – Evidence of Tamil long-distance mobility and overseas presence.

Reference

TH | New Tamil Brahmi inscriptions in Egypt’s Valley