Supporting Sources

Abstract

This chapter studies literary sources that are critical for understanding the extant parts of the Muziris papyrus texts and for reconstructing those parts that are lost. Written several generations before the Muziris papyrus, some passages from Strabo, Pliny, and Periplus give precious information on what were probably consistent features of the South India trade during the first two centuries of the Roman Empire. These features include the items traded, the size of the vessels, the sailing timetables, and the structure of the customs duties. The chapter also considers Ptolemy’s Geography, which was written at a time close to that of the papyrus. Despite the poor placement of South India on its world map, its relevant paragraphs are important, as they provide a more or less contemporaneous perspective of the region’s political landscape.