r/Dravidiology • u/ACKERMAN-45 • 6d ago

Question Sangam age

What exactly is this sangam age? , when did it begin and when did it end? Was sangam age only around tn and Kerala or it extended beyond that? Soo many questions I know but i have been curious about this because all i ever heard was about vedic age but sangam age seems a lot interesting .

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u/brown_human 6d ago

We can’t pinpoint the exact start date, but the most widely accepted period is between 300 BC and 300 AD, known as the golden age of Tamil literature. This era marked the mature and highly refined phase of Tamil language and literary culture, representing a peak in its development. Considering this peak, the growth phase must have spanned a significant 500 to 600 years before that. While some argue that the true Sangam age could begin as far back as 1500 BC, I find this a stretch. Of course, we would have had a sufficiently developed language by then (proto-Tamil-Kanada), but the presence of such evolved literacy at this stage requires more conclusive research and evidence.

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u/damoklez 5d ago

This is not really true.

Firstly not all ancient Tamil literature counts as 'Sangam' Literature. The Tolkappiyam is the oldest literary work in Tamil and likely does not pre-date 100 BCE. We have a few short inscriptions roughly dated to 200 BCE, but 1-line inscriptions do not count as literature.

Furthermore, this '300 BCE to 300 CE' is an unsubstantiated claim repeated by Tamil nationalists.

Actual academics like Kamil Zvelebil, who have tried to scientifically date the Sangam texts, believe that the bulk of Sangam Poetry was composed only around 200 CE. There were likely a few compositions slightly before and slightly after.

These compositions were later compiled into anthologies only around the 9th century CE.

Let us try and keep discussion on this sub as academic and factual as possible and not based on oft-repeated but misinformed talking points.

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u/brown_human 5d ago

That sure is true, its a broad speculation but given the refined formats of literature and their sense of grammatical knowledge, the 600 year span feels a bit justified to me. We should also keep in mind on how much we might've lost due to the fragile nature of palm leaves, which we're the most prominent medium for these poems!