The Hermapollon (we know this thanks to a papyrus with the loan agreement) returned to Alexandria, Egypt, with its precious cargo, stowed in Mauziris, in southern India: 167 elephant tusks (3.5 tons) and 600 kg of broken tusks, 80 containers of nard (a few tons), and 140 tons of pepper, which constituted the bulk of the profit. The voyage was made for the pepper; the rest was incidental. It departed in mid-August, arrived in late October, loaded in just over a month, and at the latest the return voyage would have to be made in January, taking advantage of the favorable monsoon. The entire cargo was worth approximately 1,536 talents, equal to approximately 2.3 million denarii or 9.2 million sesterces (which can be roughly equated to about 10 million euros). Hundreds of these journeys to the Middle East and India and back to the Roman Empire take place each year, with a current turnover of several billion euros. The spices traded also include cumin, rue, coriander, laser (a dried resin), caryota (date paste), mustard, ginger, saffron, and cardamom.
