Excavating Waves and Winds of (Ex)change: A Study of Maritime Trade in Early Bengal 9781841717531, 9781407329895

Table of contents :
Front Cover
Copyright
Foreword
Epigraph
Contents
List of Figures and Tables
Acknowledgements
Transliteration
Introduction
Chapter One: Ports
Chapter Two: Commodities and Hinterland
Chapter Three: Media of Exchange
Chapter Four: Ships and Shipbuilding
Chapter Five: Navigational Technique
Chapter Six: Trade Routes
Chapter Seven: Merchants and Mercantile Operative Milieu
Conclusion
References
Index

Citation preview

SOUTH ASIAN ARCHAEOLOGY SERIES EDITED BY ALOK K. KANUNGO

No.5

Excavating Waves and Winds of (Ex)change A Study of Maritime Trade in Early Bengal

Shahnaj Husne Jahan

BAR International Series 15 3 3 2006

Published in 2019 by BAR Publishing, Oxford BAR International Series 1533 South Asian Archaeology Series 5 Excavating Waves and Winds of (Ex)change © Shahnaj Husne Jahan and the Publisher 2006 The author’s moral rights under the 1988 UK Copyright, Designs and Patents Act are hereby expressly asserted. All rights reserved. No part of this work may be copied, reproduced, stored, sold, distributed, scanned, saved in any form of digital format or transmitted in any form digitally, without the written permission of the Publisher. ISBN 9781841717531 paperback ISBN 9781407329895 e-book DOI https://doi.org/10.30861/9781841717531 A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library This book is available at www.barpublishing.com BAR Publishing is the trading name of British Archaeological Reports (Oxford) Ltd. British Archaeological Reports was first incorporated in 1974 to publish the BAR Series, International and British. In 1992 Hadrian Books Ltd became part of the BAR group. This volume was originally published by John and Erica Hedges in conjunction with British Archaeological Reports (Oxford) Ltd / Hadrian Books Ltd, the Series principal publisher, in 2006. This present volume is published by BAR Publishing, 2019.

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Foreword Alok Kumar Kanungo Series Editor, South Asian Archaeology Series International Series of British Reports

The International Series of British Archaeological Reports, with its 1500 titles to the present time, is undoubtedly one of the most important places of publication in the discipline of Archaeology. But it is a pity that works on the archaeology of South Asia have been less represented in the series than their interest and value deserves. The archaeological record of South Asia ( comprising India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and the Maldives) is extremely rich. This wealth begins in the Lower Palaeolithic period and includes, for example, the Harappan Civilization, one of the oldest in the world (covering a very large area and having many unique features -­ the most ancient known town planning, its architecture and high standards of civic hygiene, its art, iconography, paleography, numismatics and international trade). South Asia also has a large number of earlier, contemporary, and later Neolithic and Chalcolithic cultures. Moreover, what makes South Asia particularly significant for the study of past human behaviour is the survival of many traditional modes of life, like hunting-gathering, pastoralism, shifting cultivation, fishing, and fowling, the study of which throws valuable light on the reconstruction of past cultures. In the region there are a large number of government and semi-government institutions devoted to archaeological teaching and/or research in archaeology and a large and professionally trained body of researchers. Of course, a number of universities and other institutions, in the area do have their own publication programmes and there are also reputed private publishing houses. However, British Archaeological Reports, a series of 30 years standing, has an international reputation and distribution system. In order to take advantage of the latter - to bring archaeological researches in South Asia to the notice of scholars in the western academic world - the South Asian Archaeology Series has been instituted within the International Series of British Archaeological Reports. This series (which it is hoped to associate with an institution of organization in the area) aims at publishing original research works of international interest in all branches of archaeology of South Asia. Those wishing to submit books for inclusion in the South Asian Archaeology Series should contact the South Asian Archaeology Series Editor, who will mediate with the BAR Editors and publishers of BAR, in Oxford. The subject has to be appropriate and of the correct academic standard (curriculum vitae are requested and books may be referred); instructions for formatting will be given, as necessary. Dr. Alok Kumar Kanungo Department of Archaeology Deccan College Post-Graduate & Research Institute Pune 411006 INDIA email: [email protected]

... Dwelling on this feeling of happiness, I adopt it wholeheartedly as the sole object of my pursuit (Lalan Shah, 1774-1890)

ii

Contents List of Figuresand Tables Acknowledgements Transliteration

vii ix xi

INTRODUCTION

1

CHAPTERONE: PORTS Early Historic Preamble Tamralipti Gar'lgabandar Wari-Bateswar Kotalipac;rn Sonargaon satgaon Cattagrama

7 8 9

CHAPTERTWO: COMMODITIESAND HINTERLAND Exported Commodities Raw Materials: Agricultural, Forestand Mineral Products Rice Silk Malabathrum Spikenard Aloes-wood Ebony Emery Betel-nut and Coconut Spices Gum-lacand Indigo ManufacturedGoods Raw Cotton and Cotton Textile Patta-bastra Home Furnishings Sugar Salt Fruits and Vegetables Pearls,Preciousand Semi-preciousStones and Opaque Glass Pearls Preciousand Semi- preciousStonesand Semi-preciousStone Beads Glass Glass beads Pottery Rouletted Ware Northern Black PolishedWare Stamped Ware Footed Ware Amphora MiscellaneousVarietiesof Pottery ReligiousObjects of Worship Steel Products

18

25 29 35

39 43

51 52 52 52 55

55 56 56 57 57 57 59 59

60 60 63 63 64 64 65 65

66 66 67 67 67 67 69 70

71 71 72 72 73

iii

Excavating Waves and Winds of (Ex)change

Faunaland Human Merchandise Rhinocerosand RhinocerosHorns Ivory Horses King-fisher's Feathers Camara (Yak-Tail) Conch Eunuchsand Slaves Imported Commodities Edible, Mineral and Forest Products Spices Opium Sandalwood Camphor Mercury Vermilion Gold Silver Copper Iron Tin and Lead Ruby ManufacturedGoods Porcelain High-tin Bronze KnobbedVessels Textiles Mats, Carpetsand Caps Swords Faunal and Human Merchandise Elephants Horses Musk Cowries Pearls Slaves CHAPTERTHREE:MEDIAOF EXCHANGE Early Historic Period The Pre-MauryaEra The Maurya Era The Post-MauryaEra Pre-Ku~a,:ta Cast Copper Coins Non-Ku~a,:ta and Ku~a,:taCoins Imitation-Ku~a,:ta,Ku~a,:to-Ra