Decline and Fall
It is not clear, however, why its activities as a major trade port ended and what led to its decline:
- Though trade continued with the other Indian ocean ports, one theory attributes it to an earthquake or the great flood of 1341 recorded in history, which caused the change of course of the [Periyar and silting up of the Muziris harbor.
- With the decline of the transit ports: during the Ptolemaic Roman period (3rd century BC to 6th century AD), Berenike and Myos served as key transit ports between ancient Egypt and Rome on one side and Muziris on the other. With the fall of Roman Empire these transit ports slowly disappeared.
- The transfer of the capital of Roman Empire to Byzantium in the year 330 AD had far reaching effects on the effects on the trade with Rome. Then other Indian Ocean regions took charge of the commerce and spread it to other seaports of India and South Asia.
Read more about this topic: Muziris
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