Three Minor Cargoes

This chapter assesses the last three lines of col. iii of the Muziris papyrus verso text, which evaluates the three-quarter portions of the items imported by a ship named the Hermapollon . The preceding lines of col. iii (ll. 1–26) record the evaluation process of the portions of three items in that cargo: Gangetic nard, entire tusks of sound ivory, and schidai (the trimmings of ivory tusks). The manner in which these commodities are evaluated is not the same. While the value of the Gangetic nard cargo is calculated by multiplying the price per container by the number of containers, the assessment of the two ivory types—the tusks of sound ivory and the schidai —shows a more complex pattern. Understanding the rationale for this convoluted procedure will reveal the purpose of the entire text.

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