Archaeologist P J Cherian, who led the excavations at Pattanam in Ernakulam district, has urged the Congress high command and the United Democratic Front (UDF) to take steps to resume excavations when the new government takes over. Pattanam is the first archaeological site on Kerala's coast that has yielded material evidence on ancient maritime trade. Cherian's appeal comes at a time when only 10 percent of the site has been excavated, yet it has already yielded several artefacts dating back to the third century BCE to the fifth century CE.
Current Status of Excavations
The Kerala Council for Historical Research (KCHR) has frozen the work. Cherian stated that the government had supported the excavations from 2006 to 2016, but the work has remained frozen for the last 10 years. The site falls under the constituency from which Congress leader V D Satheesan has won the election, making it all the more significant for the government to resume the excavations. Cherian emphasized that it is a historical need, as there are remains of people from 40 countries in Pattanam.
Appeal and Public Support
Cherian mentioned that several people from Pattanam, Coimbatore, Kannur, and Thiruvananthapuram requested him to draft this appeal addressed to the people of Kerala and the Congress high command. In 2016, KCHR locked the museum and discontinued a residential diploma programme meant to support the excavation without providing a reason, Cherian said.
Historical Significance
The full report on Pattanam Excavations (2007-2015) states that it is the first archaeological site on the Kerala (Malabar) Coast to yield a plethora of material evidence on ancient maritime exchanges. Cherian explained that these exchanges became part of the first trans-oceanic network in human history, linking the Old World (continents of Asia, Africa, and Europe) through the water bodies of the South China Sea, Bay of Bengal, Arabian Sea, Red Sea, River Nile, and the Mediterranean Sea. Based on scientific assessments of radiocarbon dating, stratigraphic analysis, and artefactual studies, the peak phase of maritime exchanges at Pattanam is identified as during the early historic period (third century BCE to fifth century CE).
