because it was finer than any other. Moreover it was easier to kill elephants in Indian forests than in the wilder, thicker and more unhealthy African forests. The elephant-hunters of Abyssinia and Somaliland who supplied African ivory to the Egyptian kings used adzes, axes and swords; and Indian was the only country whence iron implements could have been imported in those times. In exchange for these, India imported from Africa incense and sweet smelling gums, largely used in this country in the Vedic Age. There is record of the export of iron from India in the next age and we may well believe that this commerce existed in the earlier age.

     “The Vedic mantras refer to men who went to far off lands for “interchange of merchandise.” Traders “desiring wealth sent ships to sea;” “parties of merchants went on the ocean in ships with a hundred oars” to distant lands for sale and barter. This of course does not refer to Tamil trade but if the Northern ƒrya people traded to distant countries, the South Indian sailors must have been their teachers of the art of sailing; for the latter had developed from early times extensive sea-trade and the former were not sailors in early days.”¹

New Light on History

     “Hyderabad, Sept. 14. Recent archaeological finds in Egypt had confirmed that there were close contacts between the Tamils in South India and pre-dynastic Egyptians, Mr.Humayun Kabir, Union Minister for Scientific Research and Cultural Affairs, said yesterday.

     “Laying the foundation-stone for the State Archives building in Osmania University campus he said the Egyptian finds bore close resemblance to those unearthed in Tamilnadu. These discoveries had proved beyond doubt that the Tamils had contacts with Ancient Egypts pre-dynastic people.

     “Mr.Kabir said it was very difficult to say who were the indigenous people of India. Even the Adivasis might not be the