Submerged City May Be Older Than Mesopotamia

Hindustan Times ^ | 12-3-2003 | Utpal Parashar

[blam]

Submerged city may be older than Mesopotamia

Utpal Parashar
Dehra Dun, December 3

A submerged coastal city near Poompuhar in Nagapattinam, Tamil Nadu, is the focus of a major expedition being conducted jointly by the Indian Naval Hydrographic Department (INHD) and the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).

Both the organisations are trying to piece together the city's past, which some noted marine archaeologists consider to be the birthplace of modern civilisation. The once flourishing port city is located about one mile off the Nagapattinam coast.

"We have been able to locate a section of the city at a depth of 7 m and will soon start operations to recover objects that will help ascertain its past," said Rear Admiral K.R. Srinivasan, chief hydrographer to the Indian government.

English marine archaeologist Graham Hancock, who conducted an underwater exploration in the area in 2001, believes that the Poompuhar site could be older than Sumeria in Mesopotamia, where modern civilisation is believed to have originated nearly 5,000 years ago.

The 2001 expedition was funded by Channel Four of Britain and Learning Channel of the US in association with the National Institute of Oceanography (NIO), Goa.

It led Hancock to surmise that the city could have been submerged by a tidal wave as high as 400 ft somewhere between 17,000 and 7,000 years ago.

Other experts like Glenne Milne, a geologist at the University of Durham, UK, agree with Hancock. Video footage of the site shows that the submerged city near Poompuhar was far superior to constructions found in Harappan sites.

Although NIO had conducted similar offshore expeditions in the area in the late 1980s and early 1990s — and discovered objects like ring wells, brick structures and megalithic wares — it did not evince much interest till Hancock revealed his findings.

The new venture by the INHD and ASI may put an end to the debate on the submerged city. It could also rekindle a new interest in locating other such submerged towns and shipwrecks along India's coastline.

[keri]

PING

[EggsAckley]

And I'll bet you even open doors for people, let people cross at crosswalks, and allow cars to merge in front of you, too. Yes, you are hopeless.........and so am I. I do all of the above. LOL!

[Lady Jag]

How did you know that?!!!

[blam]

"That's in the gulf of Cambay near gujarat. The site in the article in near Tamil Nadu in the south. The gulf of Cambay is closer to the locations of the indus valley civilization."

I don't know the geography of Inda at all. Are we talking about two underwater sites, this article and the one in post #2, or, are they in different locations?

[Lady Jag]

[blam]

"Consider the source please."

Thanks, I'm familiar with Graham's background, it's limited in this area.

He has proposed some interesting ideas and maybe even discovered some things, his conclusions ought to be closely reviewed in these cases though.

[EggsAckley]

Just something about that picture of you on your profile page...........heheheh.

[Gwaihir]

That's the same baggage they tried to hang on Thor Heyerdahl. Heyerdahl didn't have the "right credentials" or publish in the "right journals". He also got more people interested in the subject than a thousand "qualified" reseachers. Important work got done because Thor's subjects began appearing on the cover of popular magazines like National Geographic. Academics had to address the subjects or be ignored. How much research money, which is always hard to come by, was made available due to interest he generated? I'll take his passion for the subject over passion for tenure any day.

[milestogo]

This article is about a site near Tamil Nadu, in the South of India. The article linked in post #2 is about a site near the gulf of Cambay on the west coast. They appear to be different locations.

[blam]

"This article is about a site near Tamil Nadu, in the South of India. The article linked in post #2 is about a site near the gulf of Cambay on the west coast. They appear to be different locations."

Excellent, thank you.

[Lee Heggy]

It's not the same 'baggage' sir. Heyerdahl would never have allowed a publicist to label him anything that he wasn't. I hopefully suspect that Hancock wouldn't either. I agree with you about generating interest in the public to force the rather jaundiced eye of academia upon subjects that otherwise would go un-noticed. I assure you that most field Archaeologists have passion for their work or they wouldn't be out there doing it. I will also consider the opinion/conclusions of a professional over that of an amature. We may all agree that what looks and sounds like a duck is a duck but if I wish to know what sort or how old or what sex I will ask an ornithologist not a journalist.

[StriperSniper]

Graham Hancock

I think that's also the name of the fictional journalist Michael Savage uses for bits.

[Lady Jag]

Pray tell, do tell.

[EggsAckley]

Well, shoot! Last time I looked there was a very intelligent looking ostrich! He's gone now.
~</;o)

[Lady Jag]

You Rang?

Much like the submerged coastal city near Poompuhar, Tamil Nadu, my head's been under the surface as well. Wouldn't you after hearing POOMPUHAR?

[EggsAckley]

Yup! That's the guy!!! LOL!!!

[js1138]

It was obviously flooded by rising oceans during the recent (5000 B.C.) global warming. Save the glaciers, or we're next.

[swarthyguy]

Ancient City Ping.

[Bernard Marx]

I'll take his passion for the subject over passion for tenure any day.

I very much like that turn of phrase. But reasonable skepticism is essential in evaluating any of this stuff.

[Lady Jag]

Just curious. Have you ever read Written in Stone by Chet Raymo? It's a little book that addresses geology through the millenia. Fascinating.