சங்ககால மக்களின் உற்பத்தி சூழலமைவுகள்/The Production Ecosystems of the Sangam People

Abstract

The people who belonged to the Sangam period were aware of the ecosystem of the lands almost two thousand years ago. They had employed a variety of methods to boost up the production of food and elevate the economy of the community. Among their modes of productions, agriculture, animal husbandry, fishing, salt production was the primary occupaions. Apart from this, the ‘Sangam Literature’ has recorded the instances of mixed economic environment amidst the people of the Sangam period, with small-scale industries such as beekeeping, tuber excavation, basket weaving, net weaving, pearl and conch diving. This study is intended to analyse and interpret the production ecosystems of the Sangam people. The article goes on to describe the personality they acquired in the production methods of the time. The study brings out the developmental stages of the production in agriculture, the nature of the agricultural lands and the methods of cultivating the crops effectively, which can be of great benefit to the modern systems and community that demands massive food requirements with ecofriendly perspectives. In addition to this, this article also reveals information about the business methods adopted by the Sangam period in the four land forms that people worked to meet their needs through the Sangam Poetry.

Keywords

• sangam literature
• production ecosystems
• four land forms
• agriculture
• animal husbandry
• fishing
• salt production
• business