- The Muziris Papyrus is a document dating from the second century CE written in Greek.
- Its importance lies in the revelation that the Ancient World had well defined laws governing International Commerce.
Description
- It is a contract between a Merchant of Alexandria and an Alexandrian Financier, regarding a cargo of Pepper and Spices from Muziris.
- The contract describes a Loan Agreement for a cargo worth approximately 9,000,000 sesterces carried from Muziris in India, on a Roman vessel called the ‘Hermapollon’.
- At present, the Papyrus is held in the Austrian National Library in Vienna.
The Cargo of the Hermapollon
- Named cargo:
- 100 pairs of Elephant tusks.
- Ivory fragments making up another 17 Tusks.
- 60 boxes of Nard.
- Unnamed cargo:
- 771 Talents: probably of Pepper.
- 220 talents: probably of Malabathrum (Cinnamon)
- 25 talents: probably of Turtleshell
- Value of the Cargo:
- The Cargo weighed 220 tons and was valued at 1,154 Talents or 6,924,000 Drachmas.
- Other Cargo:
- The Hermapollon was carrying other Cargo, but this was not named in the Muziris Papyrus, because it was not requested as security for the Loan.
The Route of the Cargo on board the Hermapollon
- The cargo vessel had returned from Muziris in India, and its cargo was unloaded at either Myos Hormos or Berenice on the Red sea.
- Here it was transported by Camel Caravans to warehouses in Coptos.
- From there the cargo went down the Nile to alexandria, where the State collected 25% Import duty known as the Tetarte (quarter-tax).
- From Alexandria the cargo was shipped onwards to Rome and other destinations.
Other Roman Documents relating to Roman Trade with India
- Alexandrian Tariff
- The Tetarte (quarter tax) was paid in Alexandria on Imports from the East.
- The Alexandrian Tariff was a list of 54 Items from the East that were subject to Duty.
- It was issued by the Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius between c. 176-180 CE.
- Coptos Tariff (90 CE)
- This was a listing of the people and the animals that had to pay Road Tolls between the Nile and the Red Sea.
- The Tolls are tiny compared to the value of the cargo.
- Periplus of the Erythraean Sea
- The document describes two sea routes from Egypt, one across to India and the other down to Africa, with all distances measured from Berenice.
- Pliny’s Description of the Route to India
- Pliny the Elder (23-79 CE) described in detail the journey from Egypt to India in Book VI of his Natural History.
- Diocletian's Price List
- Issued in 310 CE, Diocletian’s Price List was an Edict proclaiming the Maximum Prices, ‘Edictum de Pretiis Rerum Venalium’, which was designed to stop runaway inflation.
- It is a useful tool for historians to appreciate the cost of Roman goods and services.
Muziris, India