A breakthrough discovery in the ancient city of Ephesus has unearthed a 2nd-century CE Roman administrative archive. The lead-sealed scrolls detail diplomatic correspondence and trade treaties between the Roman Empire and the Chera Kings of South India, specifically outlining the exchange of Malabar pepper and Beryl for Roman gold and wine.
The archive provides the first direct textual evidence of formal diplomatic missions sent by Indian monarchs to Rome during the reign of Emperor Hadrian. These documents list the names of mercantile guilds and the specific taxes levied on 'Indica' luxury goods, offering an unprecedented look at the geopolitical scale of the ancient maritime silk route.