Ancient Tamil Trader's Graffiti in Egyptian Tombs Reveals Bilateral Trade Routes
Around 2,000 years ago, a Tamil merchant journeyed to the rock-cut tombs of Egyptian pharaohs in the Valley of Kings, leaving a lasting mark by scratching his name in eight locations across five of the six tombs, which date back to 1600 BCE. This remarkable discovery remained unknown until recently, when Swiss scholar Ingo Strauch identified the inscriptions during his research.
Deciphering the Inscriptions
Strauch, in collaboration with Charlotte Schmid from the École Française d'Extrême-Orient (EFEO), or the French School of Asian Studies, deciphered the Tamil Brahmi inscriptions and presented their findings at a Tamil epigraphy conference in Chennai. The name "Cikai Korran" was found, where "Cikai" means tuft or crown, and "Korran" (interpreted as Kotran) signifies leader. This discovery provides fresh evidence of bilateral trade between the West and India, highlighting the extensive travels of Tamil merchants along ancient trade routes.
Ingo Strauch from the University of Lausanne explained, "We knew that traders from Tamil Nadu visited Egypt through other inscriptions found in ancient port cities. However, this shows they did not merely arrive by ship and return; they stayed for longer periods and even visited distant sites." Charlotte Schmid assisted in deciphering the inscriptions, noting that the name "Korran" is associated with king or leader. One inscription reads "Cikai Korran - vara kanta," meaning "he came and saw," which appears to mimic Greek inscriptions found in the Valley of Kings, suggesting the trader might have been inspired by them.
Additional Findings and Historical Context
Another inscription at Tomb 1 states "Kopan varata kantan," translating to "Kopan came and saw," while Tomb 8 features the name "Catan," a common South Indian name found in early Tamil-Brahmi inscriptions. Some of these names have also been identified in excavations at Berenike, a Red Sea port, further linking the traders to this region.
Out of 30 inscriptions uncovered by Strauch and Schmid in the Valley of Kings, 20 are in Tamil, with the remainder in other Indian languages such as Sanskrit, Prakrit, and Gandhari-Kharoshi. This indicates that traders from northwestern and western India, including areas like Gujarat and Maharashtra, frequented these parts during the Roman period. One Sanskrit text mentions an envoy of a Kshaharata king "came here," significant as the Kshaharata dynasty ruled western India in the 1st century CE.
Charlotte Schmid highlighted, "There are over 2,000 graffiti marks and inscriptions in Greek at the tombs, from across the Mediterranean world, but none traveled as far as Indian traders." Jules Baillet, a scholar who recorded these inscriptions, noted the Tamil Brahmi graffiti as originating from the Asiatic region.
Implications for Ancient Trade
Senior epigraphist Y Subbarayalu commented, "Through writings of Ptolemy and Pliny, we know Romans came to India for trade, but it was unclear if it was one-way or two-way. This new evidence proves two-way trade occurred during the Roman period." Archaeologist V Selvakumar from the Department of Maritime History and Maritime Archaeology at Tamil University, Thanjavur, added that the Nile river valley and Red Sea served as connecting points between Rome and ancient India, with Tamil mercantile communities likely visiting for sight-seeing and exploration.
Professor K Rajan, academic and research adviser to the Tamil Nadu State Department of Archaeology, emphasized, "This is important evidence, revealing that Tamil traders ventured into the interior parts of ancient Egypt during the Roman period."
