Korkai/Kolchoi

Historical description

An ancient settlement of southeastern India associated with trade and pearl fishery in both Sangam and Roman literature (Ptolemy calls it an "emporion"). Although the area -- where chance finds, and excavation have surfaced material ranging in date from the first millennium BCE to at least the second century CE -- now lies some 6km inland from the ocean and 2km north of the current course of the Thamirabharani river, modern scholars uniformly consider it to have been an ancient seaport equipped with a harbor of some kind. Literary sources attest to its importance during the Pandya dynasty.

Geographic evidence

The coordinates are a representative_point_not_boundary. They identify a research anchor and do not by themselves assert an ancient administrative boundary or the full extent of the settlement.

Provenance: Barrington Atlas: BAtlas 5 D5 Kolchoi

Source and reuse

This profile derives from the Pleiades current GIS record, licensed CC BY 3.0. Pleiades place record The profile preserves the source name, point, type, description, precision and provenance without silently adding a boundary reconstruction.

Research path

Compare this place with the chronological map at the relevant year, nearby political units, routes, institutions and the period portals. Where the source record is silent about jurisdiction, population or ecclesiastical rank, this profile makes no such claim.