Popular Handicrafts:

• Weaving: High-quality spinning and weaving of cotton and silk clothes.
• Metal Works and Carpentry: Skilled craftsmanship in metal and wood.
• Shipbuilding: Significant for trade and transport.
• Ornaments: Making of jewelry and decorative items using beads, stones, and ivory.

• Demand: These products were in great demand both internally and externally.

Textiles

• Cotton and Silk Clothes: The Sangam poems often mention the fineness of cotton clothes, likening them to a cloud of steam or a snake’s slough. There was a significant demand for these textiles in the Western world, especially for those woven at Uraiyur.

Trade

• • Internal Trade:
    • Barter System: Predominantly used for internal trade.
    • Transportation: Goods were transported using carts and animal-back.

External Trade:

• • • Trade Partners: Significant trade with the Greek kingdoms and later the Roman Empire.
    • Roman Trade: Became crucial after the Roman ascendancy, with large ships bringing in valuable goods.
    • Port City of Puhar: Became an emporium of foreign trade, alongside other important ports like Tondi, Musiri, Korkai, Arikkamedu, and Marakkanam.

• Roman Coins: The discovery of Roman gold and silver coins issued by emperors like Augustus, Tiberius, and Nero throughout Tamil Nadu indicates extensive trade and the presence of Roman traders.

Major Exports and Imports

Exports:

• Cotton Fabrics and Spices: Including pepper, ginger, cardamom, cinnamon, and turmeric.
• Ivory Products, Pearls, and Precious Stones: High-demand luxury items.

• Imports:

• Gold, Horses, and Sweet Wine: Essential and luxury imports to South India. The economy of the Sangam age was marked by a high level of agricultural productivity, sophisticated handicraft industries, and extensive internal and external trade networks. The flourishing trade, both with local regions and distant lands, was supported by a robust infrastructure and strategic port cities, making the Sangam period a significant era of economic prosperity in ancient South India.

 End of the Sangam Age

• The Sangam period gradually declined at the end of the third century A.D. The Kalabhras ruled over Tamil Nadu for around two and a half centuries. We know very little about the Kalabhra rule. During this time, Jainism and Buddhism rose to prominence. The Pallavas in northern Tamil Nadu and the Pandyas in southern Tamil Nadu drove away the Kalabhras and established their authority in Tamil Nadu.