Pattanam
India · Kerala, Ernakulam
In brief
Excavations at Pattanam show the connections of a settlement on the Kerala coast with the Mediterranean and Indian Ocean worlds. The site is associated with the ancient port of Muziris; this identification should not be treated as a definitive conclusion.
What was found?
- 1Agate seal stone depicting a sphinx
A small stone belonging to a signet ring, carved from banded agate. According to researchers, its workmanship belongs to the Greco-Roman art of gem engraving and shows artistic connections with the Mediterranean world.
- 2Miniature sculpted head
A small human head made in the Greco-Roman style. The early excavation report states that further research is needed to establish the head's identity and precise date.
- 3Mediterranean amphora fragments
Fragments of transport vessels used in maritime trade. They document Pattanam's participation in the overseas circulation of goods.
- 4Stone and glass beads
Stone-working waste and partially worked pieces were found alongside beads. According to researchers, this combination suggests that a stone-working workshop may have been located nearby.
- 5Ring wells
Well structures made from terracotta rings. They document the settlement's arrangements for access to water and its everyday infrastructure.
What does it point to?
The finds from Pattanam indicate that goods from distant regions and local craft production came together in the same settlement. According to researchers, the seal stone and sculpted head show that exchange included art objects alongside utilitarian goods.
What did it teach us?
- It showed that Mediterranean connections could be documented through transport vessels and small works of art.
- The discovery of stone-working waste supported the interpretation that production took place in the settlement.
- Wells and building remains also made everyday settlement life visible alongside trade.
Images
Latest news / selected archive
A seal ring depicting a sphinx and a miniature sculpted head in the Greco-Roman style were found during the 2020 excavations.
Record
- Culture
- Ancient Tamilakam; Indian Ocean trade networks
- Team / historical
- P. J. Cherian; PAMA Institute for the Advancement of Transdisciplinary Archaeological Sciences
- Coordinates
- 10.1572°, 76.2098°
Sources
Nearby excavations
- —
- —
- 12.000
From beneath the soil: latest discoveries
- Rare Messapic inscriptions found in a 2,300-year-old tomb in Italy
Two Messapic inscriptions were found on the cover slabs of a rock-cut tomb in Manduria. According to researchers, the texts may indicate that the woman associated with the tomb held a religious role; a connection to priesthood and the cult of Demeter has not yet been confirmed.
Heritage Daily ↗ - Main sewer line and inscriptions describing Roman rituals found at Aquinum
Investigations at Aquinum uncovered the main sewer line, a group of 120 coins and religious inscriptions. The finds help researchers understand water management in the Roman city and practices such as consecrating places struck by lightning.
Heritage Daily ↗ - Analysis of Inca mummies detects traces of coca, alcohol and harmine
Hair and nail analyses of eight Inca mummies from Peru and Argentina identified evidence of coca consumption, alcohol in four individuals and traces of harmine in the Ampato mummy. According to researchers, the use of different substances shows that sacrificial ceremonies varied according to local traditions.
Arkeofili ↗ - Object from a 5,300-year-old grave in Russia identified as a kidney stone
Analyses of an object measuring approximately 2.1 centimeters, found in a Bronze Age grave in the Stavropol Upland, revealed a mineral composition consistent with a kidney stone. According to researchers, the find indicates that the man buried in the grave had a chronic infection, providing direct evidence of diseases of the period.
Arkeofili ↗ - 3,000-year-old bronze objects found during battlefield survey in Hungary
A survey of the Mezőkeresztes battlefield uncovered a large bronze vessel and two decorated spiral arm ornaments. The objects, dated to the 13th–11th centuries BC, were recovered with their original positions preserved, allowing researchers to study Bronze Age practices of burying valuable objects.
Heritage Daily ↗ - 2,600-year-old mudbrick structure identified beneath the city of Buto in Egypt
The walls of a large mudbrick structure identified through satellite and geophysical surveys were confirmed by a trial excavation. According to the researchers, a layer of sand placed beneath the foundations may have helped protect the structure in the waterlogged ground of the Nile Delta.
Heritage Daily ↗ · Excavation notebook - Celtic woman's grave containing jewelry and animal remains found in Germany
A woman's skeleton, heavy bronze anklets, a sapropelite arm ring, and the remains of a lamb or kid were found in the grave in Bavaria. According to the researchers, placing the animal in the grave as a food offering represents an unusual example of Celtic funerary practices in the region.
Arkeofili ↗ - Cupboard containing personal belongings, childhood amulets and coins found in Pompeii
Grooming items, 38 bronze coins and a necklace made up of at least 24 amulets were found in a cupboard in a house in Pompeii that had remained closed since the eruption in AD 79. The preservation of these objects together provides detailed information about everyday life and personal mementos in Roman times.
Arkeofili ↗ · Excavation notebook
All excavation sites (395)
Türkiye
- Acemhöyük
- Aizanoi
- Alabanda
- Alacahöyük
- Amos
- Ani
- Aphrodisias
- Arslantepe Mound
- Aspendos
- Assos
- Ayanis Fortress
- Aşıklı Höyük
- Barcın Höyük
- Blaundus
- Boncuklu Höyük
- Can Hasan I
- Carchemish
- Claros Sanctuary
- Clazomenae
- Domuztepe
- Ephesus
- Euromus
- Gordion
- Göbekli Tepe
- Hadrianopolis in Paphlagonia
- Hattusha
- Hierapolis
- Iasos
- Kaman-Kalehöyük
- Karahantepe
- Karatepe-Aslantaş
- Kaunos
- Kibyra
- Knidos
- Kültepe-Kanesh
- Laodicea on the Lycus
- Letoon Sanctuary
- Limyra
- Magnesia on the Maeander
- Medieval City of Beçin
- Metropolis in Ionia
- Miletus
- Myra
- Nemrut Dağ
- Nysa on the Maeander
- Olympus in Lycia
- Oymaağaç Höyük — Nerik
- Patara
- Pergamon
- Perge
- Phaselis
- Priene
- Sagalassos
- Sanctuary of Apollo at Didyma
- Sanctuary of Labraunda
- Sapinuwa
- Sardis
- Sayburç
- Side
- Stratonikeia
- Tell Atchana – Alalakh
- Teos
- Tripolis on the Meander
- Troy
- Uluburun Shipwreck
- Xanthos
- Yenikapı – Theodosian Harbour Excavations
- Yeşilova Höyük
- Yumuktepe
- Zerzevan Castle
- Zeugma
- Zincirli Höyük — Sam'al
- Çatalhöyük
- Çavuştepe Fortress
- Çayönü
- Çukuriçi Höyük
