Sangam Age: Introduction

(300 BCE-300 CE)

 Dolmen

Megalithic Age:

 Historical period in north coincide with Megalithic age

in south.

 Paleo - Meso - Neo - Chalco - Megalithic Age

MENHIR
 Known from their Graves: Megaliths :Encircled by big
pieces of stone.

 Pottery: The people used various types of pottery including

red ware, but black-and-red ware seems to have been
popular with them.

STONE CIRCLE
 No Agriculture: Megalithic people did not practice an advanced type of
agriculture.
 As compared to agricultural tools, hunting and fighting tools have been found
more.

 Beginning: The beginning of the megalithic culture can be traced to circa

1000 BC but in many cases the megalithic phase lasted upto about the first
century BC.

 Kingdoms: The Cholas, Pandyas and Keralaputras (Cheras) mentioned in

Ashokan Inscriptions were probably in the late megalithic phase of material
culture.

 Settlements: In spite of the use of the iron megalithic people depended

partly for settlement and burials on slopes of the hills.
 The Three Sangams:

 There were three Sangams or assemblies of Tamil poets during the Sangam
period in South India patronized by Pandyan Kings.

 The First Sangam was held in Madurai, and legendary sages and gods
participated here. The works of this Sangam are not available as all of them
perished.

 The Second Sangam took place in Kapadapuram. The only available literary
work is Tolkappiyam.

 The Third Sangam was held in Madurai. Most of the valuable sources of Sangam
history are from the literary works of the third Sangam.
 Sangam Literature:

 It consist of Narrative and Didactic.

 The narrative texts are called Patinenmelkanakku / Melkanakku or Eighteen Major Works.
 The didactic works are called Patinenkilkanakku / Kilkanakku or Eighteen Minor Works.
 The Ettuttokai anthology (the "Eight Collections"), the Pattuppattu anthology (the "Ten
Songs") form the 18 Major Works.

 The bardic poetry of the Sangam era is largely about Love (Akam) and War
(Puram).

 Epics:
 Tamil Epics include Silappatikaram, Manimekalai, Sivaka Chintamani, Valayapathi and
Kuntalakeci.
 Silapathikaram was written by Elango Adigal and Manimegalai by Sittalai Sattanar also
provides valuable information on the Sangam polity and society.

 Tolkappiyam:
 It is the earliest of Tamil literature.
 It is a work on Tamil grammar but it provides information on the political and socio-
economic conditions of the Sangam period.
 Sangam
Literature

Narrative Didactic
Tolkappiyam

Melkanakku Epics

Kelkanakku

Pattuppattu Ettuttokai
Kuntalakeci
Sivaka Valayapathi
Chintamani
Manimekalai
Silappatikara
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  Geographical divisions,
Inhabitants and Occupations

 Kurinji: Forest: The people of Kurinji took to hunting and gathering.

 Palai: Arid or Dry Land: the inhabitants over there could not produce anything.
They took to cattle lifting and plundering.

 Mullai: Pasture land: The people of Mullai practiced animal husbandry and
shifting cultivation.

 Marutam: River valleys and Plains: Fertile area whrein People could
pursue plough agriculture.

 Neytal: Sea-coasts: Fishing, Pearl Diving and Salt making.

Sangam Polity:

 There were three different kinds of chiefdoms in Tamilaham/South India.

 Kizar (little chiefs).
 The kizar were headmen of small villages (Ur), generally bound by kinship.

 Velir (bigger chiefs):

 The velirs were mostly hill chieftains.

 Muvendar/Vedar (biggest chiefs) categories of chiefs.

 The Cheras, Cholas and Pandyas were the three principal ruling houses of the
biggest category of chiefs.

 They were known as Muvendar.

 These chiefly houses had control over peoples of larger areas.

 The Pandya

 Occupied the southernmost and the south-eastern portion of the Indian

peninsula.
 The Pandya kings profited from trade with the Roman empire and sent
ambassadors to the Roman emperor Augustus.
 Capital: Madurai.

 The Cholas
 Situated to the north-east of the territory of the pandyas between the Pennar and
the Velar rivers.
 Uraiyur, a place famous for cotton trade, was an important Centre.
 A clearer history of the Cholas begins in the second century AD with their famous
king Karikala.
 Their capital was at Kaveripattanam.
Cheras:

 The Chera or the Kerala country was situated to the west and north of the land of
the Pandyas.

 Capital –Vanji/Vanchi

 In the early centuries Chera state was as important as the states of the Cholas
and Pandyas, and owed its position trade with the Romans.

 The history of the Cheras is a continuing battle with the Cholas and Pandyas.

 According to the Chera poets, their greatest king was Senguttuvan, the Red or
Good Chera.

 Pattani Cult.
Sangam Society:

 Society in ancient Tamilaham was, essentially, tribal in character with its kinship
organizations, totem worship and tribal cults and practices.

 The Brahmanas first appear in Tamil land in the Sangam age.

 Varna System: The social classification of Varna was known to Sangam poets.
 But they mention their own Classes.

 There is mention of Arashar (kings), Vaishiyar (traders), and Velalar/Vallala

(farmers).
 Agricultural labour was generally the task of members of the lowest class called
Kadaisiyar.

 However, society was not Priest dominated.

 Inequalities: There were sharp social inequalities in the Sangam age
as the rich lived in houses of brick and mortar, and the poor in huts
and humble dwellings.

 Chief God: The chief local god worshipped by the people of the
hilly region was Murugan.
 Mayon (Vishnu), Vendan (Indiran), Varunan and Korravai were
other gods.

 The presence of ascetics of heterodox sects suggests that they had

some followers in the region.

 Hero Stones: There was a practice of raising hero stones called

Virarkal in honour of the heroes who had died fighting for king and
other things.
 Sangam Economy:

 Agriculture and Crafts:

 Agriculture was the mainstay of the Sangam Economy.

 Most of its operations were carried on by people of the lowest class
(kadaisiyar) whose status appears to have differed little from that of the
slave.
 The bulk of the land was owned by Vellarar/Vellalas who commanded a
high social rank.
 The richer among them did not plough the land themselves, but employed
labourers to do it.
 The chief crops were Rice, Cotton, Ragi, Sugarcane, Pepper, Ginger,
Turmeric, Cardamom, Cinnamon etc.
 Weaving, Ship-building, Metal Working, Carpentry, Rope-making, Ornament-
making, making of Ivory Products, Tanning etc were some of the handicrafts,
which were widely practiced.
 Trade & Commerce:

 Trade, both Inland and Foreign, was well organized and briskly carried on
throughout the period.
 Tamil poems, classical authors and archaeological finds in South India all speak
with one voice on this subject.
 The great port-cities like Puhar, Muziri/Musisri, Naura and Ponani were the major
centres of foreign trade.
 The large quantities of gold and silver coins struck by the Roman emperors are
found in the interior of the Tamil land.
 This testifies to the extent of the trade.

 Internal trade was also brisk.

 Caravans of merchants with carts and pack animals carried their merchandise from
place to place and from fair to fair.
 Salt was an important commodity of trade and salt merchants moved with their families
in carts.
 Barter played a large part in all transactions.