"ணந்தை கீரன்"
ஓமன் நாட்டில் தமிழ்
ஓமன் நாட்டில் கிடைத்துள்ள கி.பி முதலாம் நூற்றாண்டைச் சேர்ந்த தமிழ் எழுத்துருகள்
ஓமன் நாட்டில் தமிழ்-பிராமி பானை சிதில் கண்டெடுக்கப்பட்டுள்ளது. இதில் ணந்தை கீரன் என்ற சொல் உள்ளது. இது முதலாம் நூற்றாண்டை சேர்ந்ததாக இருக்கலாம் என மதிப்படப்பட்டுள்ளது. இத்தாலி நாட்டைசேர்ந்தவர்கள் ஓமனில் இதனை கண்டுள்ளார்கள்.
Tamili Script found in Oman
Discovery has opened new chapter in understanding maritime trade of Indian Ocean countries, say historians
A Tamil script inscribed on a potsherd, which was found at the Khor Rori area in Oman, has come to light now. The script reads “nantai kiran” and it can be dated to first century CE, that is, 1900 years before the present. The discovery in the ancient city of Sumhuram has opened a new chapter in understanding the maritime trade of the Indian Ocean countries, according to specialists in history.
It was by chance that the potsherd was sighted. Alexia Pavan, an Italian archaeologist, had displayed the potsherd during an international ceramic workshop on “The Indian Ocean Trade and the Archaeology of Technology at Pattanam in Kerala” held in September in Kochi. P.J. Cherian, Director, Kerala Council of Historical Research (KCHR), and Roberta Tomber of the British Museum, London, had jointly organised the workshop. Pottery from several Indian Ocean countries was on display during the workshop. K. Rajan, Professor, Department of History, Pondicherry University, D. Dayalan, Regional Director, Archaeological Survey of India, and V. Selvakumar, Head of the Department of Epigraphy and Archaeology, Tamil University, Thanjavur, spotted the potsherd displayed by Dr. Pavan.
The Italian Mission to Oman (IMTO) had found this potsherd during its second archaeological excavation in 2006 in the Khor Rori area. The Director of the excavation was Alessandra Avanzini and Dr. Pavan was part of the team. Since 1997, the Mission of University of Pisa, forming part of the IMTO, has been working in Oman in two sites: Sumhuram in Khor Rori and Salut in Nizwa.
Personal name
The potsherd was found in a residential area of Sumhuram city. Dr. Pavan said it was part of a lid made by reusing the shoulder of an amphora. Soot traces visible along the external ridge suggest the use of the lid for a cooking pot. The sherd was discovered in a layer mixed with a few pottery pieces and animal bones, “which [layer] corresponds to one of the most important constructional phase of the city, to be dated to the first century CE,” she said. So the sherd could be dated to first century CE or a little earlier. There was so much of Indian material, including beads, coins and pottery, discovered during the excavation that it was important to show the relationship between India and the southern coast of Oman, she added.
The script “nantai kiran,” signifying a personal name, has two components, Dr. Rajan said. The first part “[n] antai” is an honorific suffix to the name of an elderly person. For instance, “kulantaicampan,” “antai asutan,” “korrantai” and so on found in Tamil inscriptions could be cited. The second component “Kiran” also stands for a personal name. More than 20 poets of the Tamil Sangam age [circa third century BCE to third century CE] have “kiran” as part of their personal names. “Thus, the broken piece of the pot carries the personal name of an important trader who commanded a high regard in the trading community,” Dr. Rajan argued.
It was generally believed that India’s contact with the Mediterranean world began with the Roman trade and much of the studies were concentrated on the Red Sea ports such as Quseir alQadim and Berenike, both in Egypt. While the excavation at Quseir alQadim yielded potsherds with the Tamil texts reading “kanan,” “catan” and “panai ori,” the one found at Berenike was engraved with the Tamil script “korrapuman.” The latest discovery in Oman was significant as it opened a new avenue in understanding the impact of the Indian Ocean trade, particularly on the we
