Excavation at which of the following sites brought to light evidence of Indo-Roman trade?

Question

Accepted Answer

The correct option is 4:
Arikamedu, located near present-day Puducherry (Pondicherry) on the southeastern coast of India, is one of the most important archaeological sites providing concrete evidence of thriving trade links between India and the Roman Empire, particularly during the 1st and 2nd centuries CE. Excavations at Arikamedu have yielded a significant number of Roman artifacts, including pottery like the famous Arretine ware (a high-quality red-glazed pottery), Roman glassware, gems, and coins. The presence of these imported items, alongside evidence of local workshops that produced goods for trade, confirms Arikamedu's identity as a major port and Roman trading station (or emporium) on the Coromandel Coast, vital for the maritime Indo-Roman commerce that flourished along the route described in texts like the *Periplus of the Erythraean Sea*.

The incorrect option is 1: Kaushambi was a significant ancient city located in Uttar Pradesh, central to political and religious history in North India, but it primarily served as an inland trade center and is not famed for direct evidence of Indo-Roman maritime exchange like Arikamedu.

The incorrect option is 2: Nalanda, situated in modern-day Bihar, is universally renowned as a major Buddhist monastic university complex (a *Mahavihara*), flourishing primarily from the 5th century CE onwards, and is not associated with being a hub for classical Indo-Roman trade.

The incorrect option is 3: Sarnath, also near Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh, is highly significant as the site where Gautama Buddha delivered his first sermon. Like Kaushambi, Sarnath was a major religious and political center in North India, but excavations there have not revealed the concentrated evidence of Roman imports necessary to designate it as a key Indo-Roman trading post.