Introduction and Synopsis

This introductory chapter provides an overview of the two texts of the Muziris papyrus. The publication of the Muziris papyrus texts—and the slow, tedious process of their interpretation and explanation—marks a turning point for studies on Indo-Roman trade specifically, and on the Roman economy more broadly. On the Roman side, apart from showing the impressive organizational and financial potential of ancient mercantile communities, the Muziris papyrus clarifies some of the routine practices associated with Greco-Roman maritime loan agreements, and demonstrates how such practices were adapted to the peculiarities of the South Indian trade. It also details how customs duties on imported Indian items were assessed and collected, and hints at the intriguing interplay among the state, the financial elites, and the merchants. On the Indian side, the cargo of the Hermapollon—the Roman Indiaman whose imports are itemized and evaluated on the verso of the Muziris papyrus—highlights the commercial importance of a region and of an emporion strategically poised between the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal.