The concept of Tinai occupies a distinctive position in the intellectual and cultural history of ancient Tamilakam. Traditionally understood through Sangam literature as a classification of five landscapes - Kurinji, Mullai, Marutam, Neithal and Palai. Tinai represents much more than a poetic description of geographical space. It connects landscape with livelihood, occupation, social organization, cultural practices, ecological resources, human behaviour and emotional experience. Sangam sources reveal hunters and gatherers in the hill regions, pastoral communities in forest and grassland zones, agriculturists in fertile plains, fisherfolk and salt producers along the coast, and mobile communities associated with the arid Palai condition. These ecological differences did not isolate communities; instead, exchange, mobility, trade and political interaction connected them. The paper therefore proposes that Tinai provides a historically valuable way of understanding the diversity and interdependence of ancient Tamil society. It also explores the relevance of Tinai to environmental history, traditional ecological knowledge and contemporary discussions of sustainability.

Keywords: Tinai, Tamilakam, Sangam Age