The Other Cargo Items

This chapter discusses col. ii of the Muziris papyrus verso text. Apart from the almost fully preserved third column, the Muziris papyrus also retains the ends of most of the lines of verso col. ii. Gangetic nard, sound ivory, and schidai , the three cargoes whose three-quarter portions are evaluated in col. iii (ll. 1–26) were just minor cargoes. Although based on incorrect assumptions, the editors arrived nevertheless at the right conclusion: the cargo of the Hermapollon comprised six items. The chapter then considers ll. 20–30 and 1–3, which pertain to pepper, as well as ll. 14–19, which refer to two items—one of which is most probably malabathron and the other might be tortoise shell.

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