Sangam literature refers to the collective works of poets during the Sangam Age in ancient South India, roughly between the 2nd or 3rd century BCE and the 3rd century CE.

The word 'sangam' is derived from the Sanskrit 'sangha', meaning 'association' or 'coming together', referring to an assembly of poets.

This literature, the oldest in South India, consists of several collections or anthologies of poems and is extensively consulted by historians investigating the society and culture of that era.

Sangam poetry expresses with great skill and delicacy personal emotions such as love and societal values like heroism and generosity.

The literature provides valuable insights into the three prominent kingdoms of the south—the Cheras, Cholas, and Pānḍyas—and their cultural, economic, and political life.

Works like Silappadikāram, composed soon after the Sangam collections, tell stories that reflect principles of justice and the ruler's dharma while taking readers through cities rich in traded goods across multiple kingdoms.