Saturday 24 September 2011

P.J.Cherian's Biggest Claim Proved False/Why Perpetuate Lies?

It was claimed by P.J.Cherian that a  wharf complex featuring a dugout canoe showing arrival of ships from Mediterranean region has been unearthed from Pattanam.Cherian claimed that the canoe was examined by Kerala Forest Research Institute, Thrishur as made of Artocarpus  hirsutus Lamk. and its calibrated date has been 1300BC.Cherian claimed it is the first of its kind in India (Current Science 2009  25 July Vol 97, No 2 )He made claims  about the canoe and wharf in many international journals.A wharf complex with a dugout canoe made from a single log of wood and several wooden posts/bollards were found during excavations in 2007. Carbon dating fixed the date of the canoe to 1 {+s} {+t} century BCE. A large quantity of botanical remains such as pepper, rice, cardamom, frankincense and grape seeds belonging to the same period were also discovered. It clearly emerged that Pattanam was once a thriving link in the Indian Ocean trade. Evidences pointed out that it was a site of continuous habitation pre-dating the Roman phase. The earliest strata so far unearthed dates back to the Iron Age — 10 {+t} {+h} to 5th century BCE.Such claims were made by Cherian.

Now  the canoe has been virtually discarded by Cherian. Not a word has been mentioned about it in the KCHR Report 2009-2010.

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