Explanation:

Modern scholarship use the term ‘Sangam Literature’ for only those works in verse(prose is of much later origin), which are comprised in the Ettutogai (Eight collections), Pattupattu(Ten songs) and Patinenkilkanakku (The Eighteen Minor Works), which are judged to have been produced in that order during the period A.D 150-250.The so called ‘Five Epics’ (‘the five great poems’) include Jivakachintamani, Silappadikaram,Manimekalai, Valayapathi and Kundalakesi. These are assigned much later dates.These poetical works describe about the social, religious, economic and political conditions of Tamilakam with the focus on the cities like Madurai, Puhar (Poompuhar/ Kaveripattinam), Vanji(Karur) and Kanchi.