Arikamedu: the Indo-Roman trading port near Puducherry that Mortimer Wheeler excavated

Background

Arikamedu lies between Veerampattinam beach in the east and the Ariyankuppam river in the west, near Puducherry.
It is identified with the ancient port city of 'Podouke', mentioned in the Periplus of the Erythraean Sea.
Mortimer Wheeler's 1945 excavation here was his first project in India after he became Director General of the ASI.
It yielded Arretine Ware, Amphorae and Rouletted Ware, which became the datum point for relative dating in southern India.
The Puducherry Museum houses pottery from the Arikkamedu site, where Roman ships once called in for trade.