The bilateral relations between Sultanate of Oman and India have been termed to be historical and civilisational. In fact, these historical ties are still being unearthed in ongoing archeological findings.
Links between North Oman and the ancient Harappan civilisation, part of the Indus Valley, have been found to go as far back as the Bronze Age, around 3,000 BCE. There is evidence that traders moved in canoes and small boats between the trading ports of western India, all along the Gulf of Oman during this time.
Archeological evidence such as pottery and inscribed coins, shards, and beads dating to circa 2,400-2,000 BCE have also been found and are presently housed in the National Museum of Oman in Muscat. In fact, historian Burkhard Vogt states that “Harappan impact on the Oman peninsula possibly started as early as the middle of the third millennium BC”.
A Harappan jar which was excavated a few years ago is also being restored as it was found broken into hundreds of shards.
Continuing excavations and discoveries show evidence of connections between the two sides of the Arabian Sea, with trade in copper and other materials being routine. Other evidence such as pots and jewellery, as well as burial material show that these contacts where not only of physical objects but also transferred to social connections.
In 1982, a small ceramic shard was also found in Ras al Jinz, further pointing to connections with the Indus Valley civilization in the Bronze Age. In addition, a grave was also found in Dhofar which points to the presence of iron and copper brought from afar.
In addition, Sindh pottery found in Dahwa near the Hajar mountains indicates the extent of trade activity between Oman and Sindh during the early Bronze Age This archaeological site is the oldest settlement to date to have been discovered in the north of the Batinah plain.
In the early Bronze Age, Oman’s first recorded civilisation, Majan, established sea trade with the Indus Valley civilisation. This is proved through the presence of ornaments and stamp seals which have been found in Ras al Jinz and Ras al Hadd.
These ancient links are not only restricted to Western India. There is archeological evidence that shows a link between the ancient port town of Pattanam in Kerala, in south India, and its trade links to ancient Rome, Yemen, and the Nabatian civilisation of the Arabian Peninsula.
According to Professor K Rajan of Pondicherry University, the use of the Tamil-Brahmi script on a pottery shard near the Khor Rori, the ancient port of Sumhuram in Dhofar near Salalah “confirms Sumhuram’s link with the ancient frankincense route and its cultural links with the frankincense-based kingdoms in southern Arabia”
These archaeological discoveries are only the tip of the iceberg.
As excavations continue and more evidence is found, the civilisational links between Oman and India are only bound to increase. These links later become more than physical objects and turn into cultural, linguistic, and societal connections, which continue, to the present time.
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