The British Academy has already awarded a prize money of 30, 000 Pounds to the Pattanam excavation.
A storage jar being excavated from a depth of 4m (Photo: DC)
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Pattanam excavation undertaken by the Kerala Council for Historical Research has been shortlisted as one of the top 20 field projects from among 93 world nominations received at the Shanghai Archaeology Forum (SAF) held at the Shanghai University. Prof. P. J. Cherian, director, Kerala Council for Historical Research and Pattanam Excavations, attended the SAF where he spoke on the Pattanam excavation methodology, findings and its global significance.
The British Academy has already awarded a prize money of 30, 000 Pounds to the Pattanam excavation along with an international research partnership award with the British Museum in London.
This award is given for research projects on archaeological excavations. Prof. Cherian was also invited for lectures in the universities of Oxford and Durham where senior research fellowships and honorary research fellowships were given for the Pattanam excavation.
SAF is organized every two years by the Chinese Institute of Archaeology and the Shanghai municipality which is a global initiative dedicated to promoting the investigation and protection of the world’s archeological resources and heritage.
“Advanced skills in metallurgy, cotton weaving and production of personal adornment items in gold, stones and glass etc made Pattanam (Muziris) the ‘first trade emporium’ which probably was at par with today’s Shanghai, London or New York,” said Prof. Cherian.
The recent excavation of Chinese coins and ceramic pottery from the seabed of Kollam had remarkable similarity with those found in the Museum of Asian Civilization at Singapore, he said.
“The exhibits there were excavated after the Tang ship wreck was found from the Java sea southeast of Singapore. These belonged to the famous 9th-century cargo recovery which had remarkable similarity with that of Chinese coins excavated at Kollam coast”, added Prof. Cherian.
Earlier, Culture Minister K. C. Joseph had come under attack from a section of the historians in the state when the report on the Pattanam excavation was out of bounds for the public. But now the delay in accessing the report has been overcome.
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( Source : deccan chronicle )
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