The Indo-Roman pepper trade and the Muziris papyrus

The volume presents a fresh and innovative study of the two texts of the Muziris papyrus, one of the most important documents in the legal and economic history of the Roman Empire; offers an analysis that incorporates the longue durée history of the South Indian pepper trade, from antiquity to early modernity; draws on not only the Mediterranean-based data but also the South Indian sources and perspectives in an indepth and balanced comparative examination; clarifies the logistical challenges and economic/fiscal concerns of the early Roman Empire's trade with South India, including the technicalities related to the assessment and collection of Roman customs duties on Indian commodities; reconceptualizes the interplay between merchants, tax collectors, and the imperial Roman government.