The Pre-modern Network of Ports of Call of Western India and the Port City of Chaul

In the western coast of India, port settlements structured ancient maritime trade routes, often becoming landscapes of cultural encounters where mercantile societies thrived on the circulation of people, commodities and ideas. Developing social resilience skills, these merchants’ communities engaged with shipbuilding skilled labourers, as well as with littoral rulers who encouraged trade and mobility. The rise and fall of India's pre-modern port cities is often associated with the flourishing of Arab trading communities, but it is also connected to natural calamities such as flooding and tidal waves. Recent archaeological work invites new readings on the relations between the port city, its hinterland, and the wider maritime routes. Early modern Portuguese accounts that echo older histories and traditions need to be revisited, and cross-referenced with retrieved artefacts and port structures. This reassessment can also provide insight into the other port towns of South Asia, as common patterns of coastal settlements and landscapes emerge. Looking at the port settlement of Chaul, archaeological exploration has revealed interesting artefacts, changing shorelines and extensive port infrastructure. By bringing together dispersed scholarly work, written accounts and recent findings, we can better understand the history of the port city of Chaul and its surrounding landscapes.