Torpedo Jar Fragment

Why in News?

The Tamil Nadu State Department of Archaeology (TNSDA) recently discovered a broken fragment of an ancient torpedo jar alongside submerged ring wells and over 250 ceramic artifacts.

Key Archaeological Finds

First Submerged Torpedo Jar Fragment in TN

• Description - A tubular, thick-walled ceramic vessel with a narrow neck and cylindrical body, engineered specifically to transport liquid commodities on long sea voyages without spillage.
• Provenance- Originates from West Asia (likely Parthian/Sasanian or early Islamic Persian Gulf trade routes).
• It serves as direct material evidence of trans-oceanic Indian Ocean maritime trade during the Early Historic period.
• Parallel Sites- Torpedo jar fragments have previously been excavated at terrestrial Sangam-era sites in Tamil Nadu, including Alagankulam, Korkai, and Porpanaikottai.

Submerged Ring Wells

• Archaeologists uncovered 4 intact terracotta ring wells with diameters ranging between 60cm and 65 cm on the ocean floor.
• The presence of freshwater ring wells underwater strongly confirms that a palaeochannel once flowed through this location, supporting human settlements before marine transgression or tsunamis submerged the coastline.
• The exploration utilized advanced marine geophysical tools, including Side-Scan Sonar, Sub-Bottom Profilers, Multibeam Scanners, and Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs) to map submerged structures amidst low underwater visibility.

Poompuhar (Kaveripoompattinam)

• Sangam Era Capital & Port - Poompuhar served as the primary port city and second capital of the Early Cholas.
• Literary References - Extensively documented in classical Sangam and post-Sangam literature:
  • Pattinappaalai- Describes busy docks, customs houses, and international merchants residing in the city.
  • Silappadikaram & Manimekalai -Chronicled urban planning, bustling markets (Yavanar quarters for Greco-Roman traders), and the legendary submergence of the city due to a catastrophic marine inundation (tsunami/sea-level rise).

• Foreign Accounts-  Mentioned as Kaberis by Ptolemy and referenced in the Periplus of the Erythraean Sea.

Significance for Maritime History

• Provides concrete physical artifacts to corroborate Tamil epic accounts of Poompuhar's urban layout and its ultimate catastrophe/submergence under the Bay of Bengal.
• Highlights that ancient Tamil ports interacted not only with the Roman/Mediterranean sphere (amphorae) but also maintained sustained commercial ties with West Asian/Persian Gulf economies (torpedo jars).

Reference

The Hindu | Torpedo jar fragment