Economy of the Sangam Age – iTopper IAS Academy

Chief occupation- agriculture. Rice was the common crop
Other crops- ragi, sugarcane, cotton, pepper, ginger, turmeric, cinnamon and a variety of fruits
Jackfruit and pepper were famous in the Chera country
Paddy was the chief crop in Chola and Pandya countries
The handicrafts was popular which included weaving, metal works and carpentry, ship building and making of ornaments using beads, stones and ivory
Spinning and weaving of cotton and silk clothes attained a high quality. There was a great demand in the western world for the cotton clothes woven at Uraiyur
Both internal and foreign trade was well organized
Merchants carried the goods on carts and on animal-back from place to place
Internal trade was mostly based on the barter system
External trade was carried out between South India and Greek kingdoms
The port city of Puhar became an emporium of foreign trade. Others ports of commercial activity include Tondi, Musiri, Korkai, Arikkamedu and Marakkanam
The author of Periplus provides the most valuable information on foreign trade
Plenty of gold and silver coins were issued by the Roman Emperors like Augustus, Tiberius and Nero were found in parts of Tamil Nadu
Main exports- cotton fabrics, spices like pepper, ginger, cardamom, cinnamon and turmeric, ivory products, pearls and precious stones
Chief imports- gold, horses and sweet wine