The Forgotten Metropolis Of Pondicherry

The forgotten city of Arikamedu, nestled along the southern coast of India, has a history that is nothing short of awe-inspiring. Once a vibrant trading post between India and Rome, exotic spices and luxurious fabrics were exchanged here for Roman coins. Now in ruins and overgrown with jungle, it remains an intriguing mystery, beckoning us to uncover its hidden secrets.

User, S. (n.d.). Arikamedu- 2022. https://pondicherrytourism.co.in/arikamedu-puducherry

Buried in the sands of India lies a forgotten city once home to an ancient civilisation that traded with the Roman Empire. *The secrets of this lost city remain shrouded in mystery; what treasures lie within its walls?

Is there a story to be told about its bustling marketplace?

How did the trade take place at the time?

These questions will likely remain unanswered as the lost city continues to be a silent witness to centuries of history.*

Entering Puducherry (previously Pondicherry) is like stepping into a delectable European feast. When the French left in 1954, they left behind centuries of cosmopolitan culture dating back to ancient Rome. It houses an eclectic collection of artefacts discovered in the 1940s on a riverbank outside of a town at a site named Arikamedu. This little Indian village will transport you to a time when Rome ruled the world.

Arikamedu has an intriguing history attached to it. The French Academy of Scienes had appointed Le Gentil, a French astronomer, to observe significant astronomical events around the world. In 1734, the Consul of the Indo-French colony of Pondicherry notified him that a few locals were excavating old bricks from a historic fort in Arikamedu.

In the early 1940s, the Service des Travaux Publics performed random excavations. Father Fancheux and Raymand Surleau, who were not licensed archaeologists, gave a few artefacts from the Arikamedu excavations to Indian museums as well as the École française d'Extrême-Orient in Hanoi.

Nobody had heard of Arikamedu until that point. Who owned it? Why were the villagers taking its historic bricks? Gentil set out with these thoughts racing through his mind. Gentil's exploration of the ruins confirmed what the Consul of the French-Indo colony had reported. The locals told him that the large bricks came from a historic fort belonging to a king called Vira-Raguen.

More indications did not surface until Jouveau Dubreuil arrived in the area in 1937. Jouveau Dubreuil, a French Indologist, purchased gemstone artefacts from local children and discovered several lying on the surface. He noticed an intaglio with a carving of a man - Augustus Caesar - and exquisite beads and diamonds. All of this implied that these objects were of Roman origin.

Sir R.E.M. Wheeler, Director General of the Archaeological Survey of India, spotted a few potsherds from the Arikamedu site on display in the Madras Museum during the 1940s. He identified them as "terra sigillata," also known as Arrentine ware, a high-end pottery made in Arezzo, Italy, up to the year 50 CE. There have only been two discoveries of Terra Sigillata tableware outside of the Roman Empire, one of which is Arikamedu. This discovery is indicative of trade between the two locations.

Wheeler visited the Pondicherry Museum to see more Arikamedu artefacts since his curiosity was piqued. He believed he had uncovered links between the Classical Mediterranean and Ancient India. Soon after, in 1945, during the turbulent first part of World War II, he set up scientific excavations.

He observed that antiques, which included lamps, glass objects, gemstones, cutlery, crockery, wine containers, etc., were unfamiliar to the village's fishermen. Additionally, he noted that traders would travel from the west coast, Ceylon, Kolchoi (Colchi), and the Ganges region to barter products like silk, spices, and stones. He methodically planned his excavations to avoid damaging any artefacts.

In the years following the war, from 1947 to 1950, Jean-Marie Casal continued his research, and his discovery of megalithic tombs marked by stones close to the site led him to conclude that it belonged to an early megalithic period.

Excavations also revealed several Roman-era artefacts such as beads, diamonds, amphorae (used for storing wine), a Roman stamp, large bricks found within an old wall, Arretine ceramics, and more. According to Wheeler, Augustus founded the city during a period of trade with Rome. In addition to Roman artefacts, Chinese blue-and-white earthenware was also found at the site.

Despite being devastated by cyclone Thane in 2011, the walls of Arikamedu still stand tall, serving as a reminder of its rich history. Now in ruins and overgrown with jungle, the site remains a tantalizing mystery, inviting exploration to uncover its hidden secrets. The French Mission House, built in the 18th century, is the only structure that survived the natural disaster and still stands today, serving as a sentinel against the ravages of time and nature. These structures now serve as a testament to the strength and resilience of this once proud settlement.

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Colinelefrancq. (2020, September 11). Arikamedu excavation. DHARMA project ERC n° 809994. Retrieved December 24, 2022, from https://dharma.hypotheses.org/3015

Wikipedia contributors. (2022, December 12). Government Museum, Chennai. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Government_Museum,_Chennai

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Pareek, S. (2017, May 18). Arikamedu excavation. The Better India. https://www.thebetterindia.com/15551/indians-trade-site-with-ancient-romans-arikamedu-travel-pondicherry/

Adhikari, P. (2016b, May 11). Arikamedu bricks. https://theculturetrip.com/asia/india/articles/arikamedu-indias-ancient-wonder/

Mukherjee, S. (2016, September 16). Gold Roman Coin Excavated At Pudukottai (Courtesy British Museum – Creative Commons) Roman Beads (Courtesy Incredible India)https://indianvagabond.com/2016/09/16/arikamedu-the-lost-roman-trading-port-of-india/

Rajagopalan, A. (n.d.). Arikamedu Beads. http://beadsofindia.blogspot.com/2010/08/arikamedu-beads.html