Charition: a Greek Slave Girl in Kanara

Trade connects the world. Mangalore and the West Coast of India has always been part of a global trade network that connected Europe to China and Japan. Boats plied along the coast and, from Roman times, about 2,000 years ago, ships sailed across the Indian Ocean directly from Egypt. Ships sailed with coins, wine, and artefacts from Rome, and returned with spices, silks, and other luxury goods from southern India. The Periplus of the Erythraean Sea describes this route, and a Roman map, known as the Peutinger Map, a copy of which was found in Austria, gives a visual description.  It is a linear representation, and ends at one side with the drawing of a temple dedicated to the Roman Emperor Augustus in Muziris, in Kerala.

Oxyrhynchus, a place on the Nile, lay along this route. Here, in a rubbish dump, archaeologists found a tattered copy of a Greek play written during the time of this great trade, around mid-2nd century CE. The play is about an enslaved Greek girl, Charition, who escapes from her Indian captors. Characters in the play, some perhaps expatriate Indians, speak a Dravidian language, most probably Kannada or Tulu, suggesting the action takes place in Tulunad. With the help of her brother, Charition, escapes to a waiting ship after getting her captors, the local king and his warriors, intoxicated on Greek wine.

The play, performed far away from our coast, suggests there was a fairly substantial expatriate Indian community in Egypt then - merchants, slaves, and others. It must have brought them memories of home and relieved them of some of their homesickness.

That audience would have also had a large expatriate Greek community. Greeks were principal players in Rome’s India trade. Tamil-Brahmi texts and south Indian domestic pottery dating to this time have been recovered from another Egyptian port, Berenike. In Tamil Nadu itself, the discovery of many Roman coins and pottery, mainly wine jars, attest to this flourishing trade. The Roman writer Pliny complained bitterly that the India trade in luxury goods drained Rome’s coffers.

The play begins with the Fool demonstrating how farting before a silver statue of a divine entity, Lady Fart, constitutes a powerful prayer. Drums and female voices speaking a barbarian language herald the approach of local people. The Fool, accompanied by music, farts, which he compares to the sound of a noisy sea storm, claiming it will send the barbarian chorus packing to the river Psolichus. The Fool, Charition, and her brother then discuss plans for escape. The Fool suggests that Charition steal objects dedicated to the goddess in the temple. She refuses, and instead tells him to prepare undiluted wine to serve the local people. Since they were unaccustomed to drink it neat, it would intoxicate them.  She then goes inside.

Drums announce the arrival of the Indian King with his entourage. They are freshly bathed in preparation for the ensuing rituals. This involves a drinking scene. The Fool and Charition‘s brother pour undiluted wine. The Indians become increasingly intoxicated to rising tempo of cymbals, drums, and incoherent barbarian voices.

The scene climaxes with intoxicated king leading his people with music and dance to  the goddess. The Fool farts again, and on the brother‘s instructions trips up the king, before binding him fast with sacred girdles.

Many drums announce the finale. The Indians are drunk, their king has been tied up, Charition reappears, and the captain of the Greek ship gets ready to sail. Charition is afraid. She prays to the goddess. Perhaps, she was about to become a human sacrifice to the goddess.

At this point, the barbarian women appear from the hunt with huge bows. Charition, speaking their language, says “alemaka”, which they repeat. She reprimands the Fool, telling him they mistook him for an enemy and were about to shoot him. The Fool farts again, saying he will blow them all the way to the river.

The play ends with them boarding the ship, and Charition’s words “A great trembling overwhelms me in all my misery. Be kind to us, Lady! Save your servant!”