Excavations in the Sumerian city of Eridu have uncovered a collection of over 200 cuneiform tablets that detail the world's first known maritime insurance contracts. The records specifically mention trade fleets traveling to Meluhha (the Indus Valley) and describe a system where the king provided financial backing for lost cargo in exchange for a 'safety tithe'.
This archive sheds new light on the sophistication of Bronze Age trade law and the high-risk, high-reward nature of the Indian Ocean spice and timber trade. It confirms that the economic relationship between Mesopotamia and India was far more formalized than previously theorized by historians.