Ciencia, Tecnología y Sociedad (CTS)

88

It is

colandia

or

Kolandiophdnta

, the o c e a n - g o i n g cra f t w h i c h h as g i v e n r i s e to m u c h d i s c u s s i o n . It h a s b e e n i d e n t i f i e d w i t h ships c a l l e d

po

d e s c r i b e d in d e t a i l in a thi rd c e n t u r y C h i n e s e text, a n d the w o r d h a s b e e n d e r i v e d f r o m the

(147

T a m i l

padagu3 padao

or

parao

s t a n d i n g for a ship. A s u m m a r y of the e v i d e n c e f r o m the C h i n e s e s o u r c e s is as follo ws: 'The large, n o n - C h i n e s e m e r c h a n t m e n w h i c h w e r e e n g a g e d u p o n the t r a d e b e t w e e n Eas t and W e s t w e r e k n o w n as

p o

, or as

k run-lun-po

, a t e r m in us e for v a r i o u s l i t t o r a l p e o p l e s of s o u t h e a s t A s i a . . . . and w e r e

s a i l i n g v e s s e l s . T h e e a r l i e s t C h i n e s e r e f e r e n c e s a p p e a r to b e l o n g to the t h i r d c e n t u r y A . D ... (148

(149 W h e n this e v i d e n c e is c o m p a r e d w i t h that of

The Ver'iplus3

kolandiophonta

a p p e a r s to b e a d i s t o r t e d e x p r e s s i o n w h i c h o r i g i n a l l y

r e p r e s e n t e d a c o m p o u n d of the s a m e g e n e r a l c a t e g o r y as

k ’un-lun-po

. T h e s e ships, w h i c h m a y h a v e b e e n M a l a y a n in o rig in, a p p e a r to h a v e b e e n s a i l i n g b e t w e e n the A n d h r a - T a m i l coast, the M a l a y a n p e n i n s u l a and the

(151 c o as t of s o u t h C h i n a d u r i n g the e a r l y c e n t u r i e s of the p r e s e n t era.

W h i l e in

The Periplus

t h e s e s hi p s set sail f or C h r y s e

(152 ( M a l a y an P e n i n s u l a ) f r o m p o r t s o n the c o a s t s o u t h of A n d h r a P r a d e s h , P t o l e m y p l a c e s the

apherterion3

the p o i n t of d e p a r t u r e for sh ips b o u n d

ll+T Wang Gungwu, 'The Nanhai Trade: A Study of the Early History of Chinese Trade in the South China Sea'

Journal of the Malayan

Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society3

Vol. XXXT, p. 1-2, pp. 28 ff. lU

8

A. Christie,

op. cit.3

p.

3^8

ff.

ll

+9

Sec. 60. 150 A. Christie,

op. cit. 3

pp. 350-53. 151

Ibid.

89

for Chryse, to the n o r t h - e a s t in M a i s o l i a , s o m e w h e r e b e y o n d A l l o s y g n e (153

in the v i c i n i t y of p r e s e n t - d a y Sri k a k u l a m . F r o m a c o m p a r a t i v e s t u d y of the two tex t s e a r l i e r in the ch apte r, w e h a v e s e e n h o w the I n d o - R o m a n tr ad e e x t e n d e d into c o a s t a l And h r a . In fact, the o r d e r in w h i c h P t o l e m y m e n t i o n s l o c a l i t i e s on the e a s t e r n coast, m o v i n g f r o m the s o u t h to th e n o r t h - e a s t , sho w s that the s h i p s h e m e n t i o n s b e l o n g e d to A n d h r a a n d the f a r south, r a t h e r t h a n to the c o a s t a l r e g i o n n o r t h of S r i k a k u l a m .

F r o m this d i s c u s s i o n w e m a y c o n c l u d e that the s hips p l i e d the w a t e r s of c o a s t a l A n d h r a as w e l l and this r e g i o n a l s o h a d c o m m e r c i a l c o n t a c t s w i t h S o u t h e a s t Asia. F r o m the f o u r t h and f i f t h c e n t u r i e s o n w a r d s , h o w e v e r , A n d h r a P r a d e s h r e c e d e d into the b a c k g r o u n d w h i l e T a m r a l i p t i , t h e n the G a n g e t i c port, and the T a m i l c o u n t r y a c q u i r e d g r e a t e r i m p o r t a n c e in m a r i t i m e t r a d e w i t h the g r o w t h of the G u p t a and P a l l a v a e m p i r e s r e s p e c t i v e l y . J u s t as c o a s t a l t r a d e p r e c e d e d t r a n s - o c e a n i c t r a d e o n the w e s t coast, w e c a n s u r m i s e that d u r i n g the firs t t h re e c e n t u r i e s of the C h r i s t i a n era the e a s t e r n s e a b o a r d w i t n e s s e d a c e r t a i n g r o w t h in c o a s t a l trade, for f r o m the e n s u i n g c e n t u r i e s s h i p s s a i l e d a c r o s s the h i g h seas m o r e frequ e n t l y . In the c o a s t a l t r a ff ic , A n d h r a P r a d e s h a p p e a r s to h a v e h a d an i n t e r ­ m e d i a r y role. Its e a r l i e r i m p o r t a n c e in c o a s t a l t r a d e a nd the

d e c l i n e in m a r i t i m e a c t i v i t i e s f r o m the f o u r t h c e n t u r y A . D . , s u p p o r t s this a s s u m p t i o n . H ad A n d h r a P r a d e s h b e e n a b l e to o f f e r the c o m m o d i t i e s in d em a n d , it w o u l d h a v e b e e n s i g n i f i c a n t in the t r a d e of the later c e n t u r i e s .

b e t w e e n A n d h r a P r a d e s h a nd S o u t h e a s t A s i a c an o n l y b e u n d e r s t o o d in the w i d e r c o n t e x t of S o u t h India. T h e r e is som e e v i d e n c e for R o m a n c o n t a c t s w i t h S o u t h e a s t A s i a and w e h a v e a l r e a d y m e n t i o n e d an d it is l i k e l y that A n d h r a f e a t u r e d in the t r a d e of at l ea s t s o m e of the p r o d u c t s . Th e o l d e s t f in d at Oc Eo in the M e k o n g d e l t a w a s a

(154 R o m a n g o l d m e d a l of the r e i g n of A n t o n i n u s P i u s (ca. 152 A.D.). In 166 A . D . , the R o m a n E m p e r o r , M a r c u s A u r e l i u s A n t o n i n u s s ent an e m b a s s y to the C h i n e s e E m p e r o r , H u a n - t i

_{.^ 155}

A G r a e c o - R o m a n lamp at P ’ong Tlik in T h a i l a n d w a s f o u n d in a s s o c i a t i o n w i t h a n 'Amaravati Buddha' . 'Amaravati Buddhas' d a t i n g f r o m a b o u t the s e c o n d to t he f o u r t h c e n t u r i e s a r e a m o n g the e a r l i e s t a r c h a e o l o g i c a l f i nds in S o u t h e a s t A s i a, w h i c h s h o w p o s s i b l e c o n n e c t i o n s w i t h A n d hra . T h e r e a r e a l s o a m u l e t s w o r n b y s m a l l f i g u r i n e s of n u d e boys, in fact i m i t a t i o n b u l l a e , w h i c h h a v e b e e n r e c o v e r e d n o t o n l y f r o m D v a r a v a t i in T h a i l a n d b u t a l s o f r o m A r i k a m e d u and C h e b r o l u in T a m i l n a d u and (158 A n d h r a P r a d e s h r e s e p c t i v e l y . T h u s w e can a s s u m e that A n d h r a h a d a p a r t to p l a y in the e a r l i e r R o m a n c o n t a c t s w i t h S o u t h e a s t Asia. A n i m p o r t a n t d i s c o v e r y at C h a n s e n in T h a i l a n d is an i v o r y c omb e n g r a v e d w i t h B u d d h i s t symbols. O n e f a c e of the comb h a s a r o w of sy mbo l s:

triratna3 pürnaghata,

u m b r e l l a , w h e e l an d so on,

15^ C o e d e s ,

op. cit. y

pp. 19 f f .

155 M. W h e e l e r , ’R o m a n C o n t a c t s w i t h India, P a k i s t a n a n d A f g h a n i s t a n ’, in

Aspects of Archaeology in Britain and Beyond: Essays Presented

to C.G.S. Crawford3

(ed.), W.F. G r i m e s , L o n d o n , 1951, p. 359.

156

G. C o e d e s , ’E x c a v a t i o n s at P ’on g Tiik in Sia m',

Annual Bibliography

of Indian A r c h a e o l o g y

1927, pp. 16-20. 157 S e e A p p e n d i x t o chap te r.

158

E. L y o n s , ’T w o D v a r a v a t i F i g u r i n e s " ,

Journal of Siam Society3

Vol. 60, pp. 197-98.

90

91

a b o v e two r u n n i n g h o r s e s in A m a r a v a t i style, the o t h e r ha s a

hamsa

In document INSTITUTO COLOMBIANO PARA EL FOMENTO DE LA EDUCACIÓN SUPERIOR –ICFES- FUNDAMENTACIÓN CONCEPTUAL ÁREA DE CIENCIAS NATURALES (página 38-44)