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The economy of the ancient Tamil country (Sangam era: 200 BCE – 200 CE) describes the ancient economy of a region in southern India that mostly covers the present-day states of Tamil Nadu and Kerala. The main economic activities were agriculture, weaving, pearl fishery, manufacturing and construction. Paddy was the most important crop; it was the staple cereal and served as a medium of exchange for inland trade. Pepper, millets, grams and sugarcane were other commonly grown crops. Madurai and Urayur were important centers for the textile industry; Korkai was the center of the pearl trade. Industrial activity flourished. Inland trading was conducted primarily through barter in busy market places by merchant associations and commercial lending institutions. Merchants formed associations that operated autonomously, without interference from the state. The people of ancient Tamil country engaged in brisk overseas trade with Rome; the trade reached a peak after the discovery of a direct route for merchant ships between Tamilakam and Egypt, taking advantage of the monsoon winds. Pepper, pearls, ivory, textiles and gold ornaments were exported from Tamilakam, and the main imports were luxury goods such as glass, coral, wine and topaz. Foreign trade brought in a large amount of internationally convertible Roman currency. The state played an important role in building and maintaining infrastructure such as roads and ports—funded through taxation—to meet the needs of economic and social activity. Wealth was unequally divided among the people, giving rise to distinct economic classes. ==Agriculture== (詳細はAgriculture was the main occupation of the ancient Tamils and the most respected.〔(【引用サイトリンク】 Thirukkural )〕 Farmers were aware of different soil types, the best crops to grow and the various irrigation systems suitable for any given region. In the five geographical divisions of the Tamil country in Sangam literature, the Marutam region was the most fit for cultivation, as it had the most fertile lands. Land was classified, according to its fertility, as ''Menpulam'' (fertile land), ''Pinpulam'' (dry land), ''Vanpulam'' (hardland) and ''Kalarnilam'' or ''Uvarnilam'' (salty land). ''Menpulam'' yielded rich produce on a variety of crops, but ''Pinpulam'' was cultivated only with dry crops due to limited irrigation facilities. The yield from ''Vanpulam'' was limited, while ''Kalarnilam'' was unfit for cultivation. Some of the well known types of soil were alluvial soil, red soil, black soil, laterite soil and sandy soil. The Tamils cultivated paddy, sugarcane, millets, pepper, various pulses, coconuts, beans, cotton, plantain, tamarind and sandalwood. Paddy was the main crop, with different varieties grown in the wetland of Marutam, such as ''Vennel'', ''Sennel'', ''Pudunel'', ''Aivananel'' and ''Torai''. The peasants lived in groves of trees close to the farmlands and each house had jack, coconut, palm, areca and plantain trees. Peasants grew turmeric plants in front of their houses and laid flower gardens in between the houses. Farmers believed that ploughing, manuring, weeding, irrigation and the protection of crops must be done according to a specific method in order to obtain a good yield. A wide range of tools needed for agriculture, from ploughing to harvesting, were manufactured. The basic tool was the plough also known as ''meli'', ''nanchil'' and ''kalappai''. ''Palliyadutal'' referred to the process of removing weeds using a toothed implement attached to a plank and drawn by oxen. Lower-class peasants used stone sling devices to scare animals and birds away from the standing crops. Sickles were used for harvesting mature rice paddies. Since the rivers of the region were not perennial, several irrigation techniques were developed to ensure an adequate and continuous supply of water. Farmers used a bullock-propelled device called ''Kapilai'' for bailing out water from deep wells and a manual setup called ''Erram'', for shallow wells. Tanks, lakes and dams were used as water storage systems and the water regulated using sluices and shutters. Kallanai, a dam built on river Kaveri during this period, is one of the oldest water-regulation structure in the world. Surface irrigation, sprinkler mechanism and drip irrigation methods were followed to prevent wastage of water.〔Balambal, p. 65〕 Most farmers cultivated their own plots of land and were known by different names such as ''Mallar'', ''Ulutunbar'', ''Yerinvalnar'', ''Vellalar'', ''Karalar'' and ''Kalamar''.〔Balambal, p. 61〕 There were also absentee landlords who were mostly brahmins and poets who had received donations of land from the king and who gave these donations to tenant farmers. Sometimes independent farm laborers, known as ''Adiyor'', were hired for specific tasks. Landlords and peasants paid tax on the land and its produce – the land tax was known as ''Irai'' or ''Karai'' and the tax on produce was called ''Vari''. One sixth of the produce was collected as tax. Taxes were collected by revenue officials known as ''Variya'' and ''Kavidi'', who were assisted by accountants called ''Ayakanakkar''. For survey and taxation purposes, various measurements were used to measure the land and its produce. Small lots of land were known as ''Ma'' and larger tracts as ''Veli''. Produce was measured using cubic-measures such as ''Tuni'', ''Nali'', ''Cher'' and ''Kalam'' and weight-measures such as ''Tulam'' and ''Kalanju''. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Economy of ancient Tamil country」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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