Research Paper Evidences for Plant Utilization, Spice Trade and Paleo-environment from Peat Formation of Pattanam Archaeological Site C RITHIN VARGHESE * , K MARY MATHEW, Y S RAO, SWAPNA SASIDHARAN and A B REMASHREE Indian Cardamom Research Institute, Spices Board India, Myladumpara, Kailasanadu P.O. 685 553, Kerala, India (Received on 03 August 2017; Revised on 02 April 2019; Accepted on 16 August 2019) Pattanam, a small village in Ernakulam district of Kerala state, India, located on the Periyar river delta, invites the attention of researchers of various disciplines for its recent archaeological discoveries of maritime features. Large number antiquities of foreign – origin excavated from here suggests that, this area had trade relationship with the Mediterranean world, and probably was a part of ancient spice trade network. A single trench was excavated as part of archaeological excavation in 2015 by the Kerala Council for Historical Research, Thiruvananthapuram. Examination of peat samples, which was found as a layer of 3-5 cm at a depth of 320-325 cm,under the sandy layers representing iron age (BC 5 – 10 th century) yielded a diverse spectrum of botanical specimens such as thorns, seeds, fruits, floral parts, leaves, stems, barks, wood and plant resins. The paleo-environment and plant utilization of the area were represented by the archaeobotanical specimens resemble Coconut, Indian cotton tree, Indian coral tree, Zanthoxylon sps., Amla etc. The presence of macrobotanical specimens resemble morphologically to Black pepper, Cardamom, Clove, Sesame etc., point towards the ancient spice trade activity in the region as mentioned in the ancient literatures. Diversity of the discovered ethnographically important botanical specimens suggested human plant interactions, trade activities and paleo-environment of this area in the ancient times. Keywords: Pattanam; Archaeobotany; Paleo-environment; Plant Utilization; Spice Trade *Author for Correspondence: E-mail: rithinvargez@gmail.com Proc Indian Natn Sci Acad 86 No. 2 June 2020 pp. 1097-1106  Printed in India. DOI: 10.16943/ptinsa/2019/49715 Introduction Pattanam Archaeological Site - An Overview Pattanam (10 o 09.434’N, 76 o 12.587‘E), a small village, 25 km north of Kochi city in Kerala is located on the delta of river Periyar, one of the largest rivers of Kerala. This hamlet is situated in the northern bank of Periyar Thodu (a tributary of River Periyar). River Periyar has a major role in the cultural evolution of Kerala region. Various megalithic sites situates on the Periyar river basin indicated the flourished human habitation dependent on this river. Moreover it acted as transportation and commutation media between the coastal lands with the eastern highlands of Central Kerala. In Sangam literature, it regarded as “Chulli” river, where the “Roman vessels coming with gold for black pepper beat white foams” (Cherian et al., 2009). The area presently consists of criss-cross water channels, which have rich mangrove vegetation on its banks. There are some discontinuous patches of water bodies as well, which could be the remnants of paleo-channels. Towards the western side, the area transforms into lagoon like in nature where, the people practice a kind of rice cultivation, popularly known as “Pokkali” in which the plants are mostly submerged in water. Some lagoonal parts have been transformed into prawn culture fields. Allover this area, the mangroves are growing abundantly. The western boundary is a backwater called Thathappilli Lake, which separates Pattanam from northern part of Vypin Island. Spice Trade – The World, India and Pattanam Site Kerala (erstwhile Malabar) coast of South West India