Researchers at the University of Baghdad have deciphered a cache of 150 cuneiform tablets found in Ancient Nippur. The tablets detail a formal maritime treaty between Sumerian temple administrators and merchant guilds from Meluhha (the Indus Valley), specifically regulating the prices of peppercorns, cinnamon, and lapis lazuli.
The texts include names of Meluhhan merchants and their specific weights and measures, which align perfectly with the standard stone weights found in Harappa and Mohenjo-daro. This administrative archive offers the most detailed look yet at the complex economic diplomacy that linked the two greatest civilizations of the 3rd millennium BCE.