Most of the materials related to trans-oceanic trade have been found in the Early Historic period (c. 300 BCE – 500 CE). Pattanam as an Early Archaeological Site
The Pattanam archaeological site (N. Long. 76°12.587’) is located in the Vadakkekara village of Paravur Taluk, about 25 km north of Kochi in the Ernakulam District of Kerala, India. This coastal site is situated in the delta of the Periy
ar and is now approximately 4 km from the Arabian Sea coast. The Paravur Todu, presently a distributary of the Periyar, flows about 1 km south of the site. Pattanam is 7 km away from Kodungallur, and the Periyar flows 5 km north of Pattanam. The site is surrounded by paleo (old) channels, a backwater, lagoons, and streams. Though surrounded by marshy areas with saline water, the Pattanam mound has non-saline water suitable for drinking, which may be one of the reasons for the ancient settlement there. The Pattanam mound is 3.32 m high above Mean Sea Level (MSL) and spreads out over about 111 hectares. However, being a densely populated village, the site is considerably disturbed. The Kerala Council for Historical Research (KCHR) presently owns about 7 acres of the site. The nine seasons of excavations by the KCHR have unearthed a large volume of local and non-local artifacts belonging to different cultures and cultural periods, including West Asia and beyond. The chronology of the Pattanam site spans three millennia from circa 500 BCE with evidence of habitation across the Iron Age-Early Historic, the Medieval, and the Modern cultural periods. The Early Historic period (3rd century BCE to 5th century CE) seems to be the most active phase of the site. The word 'Pattinam' has its origins in the Prakrit language and means a ferry, a port site, or a commercial place. The location of Pattanam, as well as the material evidence unearthed here, point to the possibility that Pattanam could have been a part of the port of Muciri Pattinam or Muziris, mentioned in the Indian and European classical sources.
