Tyndis (Ancient Greek: Τύνδις[1], Tamil: Thondi[2]) was an ancient south Indian seaport/harbor-town mentioned in the Graeco-Roman writings. It was located north of port Muziris (Muchiri) — by around 500 stadia — in the country of the Chera rulers.[3][2] No archaeological evidence has been found for Tyndis.[2]
Chera rulers of early historic south India (c. second century BCE - c. third century CE[4]) had their headquarters at Karur (Karuvur) in the interior Tamil Nadu and harbors at Muziris (Muchiri) and Tyndis (Thondi) on the Malabar Coast (present-day Kerala).[4] There are several references to a port with the name Thondi, on the Kerala coast, in the Chera country, in early historic Tamil texts.[2][4]
Thondi, a town with same name in the Pandya country, on the eastern coast of the peninsula, is also mentioned in early Tamil literature.[5][2] This town still exists with the same name.[2]
- ^ Periplus of the Erythraean Sea, 53 and 54
- ^ a b c d e f Selvakumar, V. (2016). "Ancient Ports of Kerala: An Overview". In Mathew, K. S. (ed.). Imperial Rome, Indian Ocean Regions and Muziris: New Perspectives on Maritime Trade. Taylor & Francis. pp. 271 and 274–80 and 411. ISBN 978-1-351-99752-2.
- ^ Gurukkal, Rajan; Whittaker, Dick (2001). "In Search of Muziris". Journal of Roman Archaeology. 14: 334–350. doi:10.1017/S1047759400019978. ISSN 1047-7594.
- ^ a b c Gurukkal, Rajan (2013). "Classical Indo-Roman Trade: A Misnomer in Political Economy". Economic and Political Weekly. 48 (26–27).
- ^ "Excavations: Thondi". Tamil Nadu State Department of Archeology. Government of Tamil Nadu.