Blue sapphire from Ceylon
(Sri Lanka, 21st c.)
Magos Foundation Collection
GIFTS BROUGHT BY THE MAGUS OF INDIA
The main exports of the ancient Tamil kingdoms, notably from the port of Cranganore, were, according to a first-century manuscript describing the maritime routes of antiquity, called the “Red Sea Journey” or “Eritrean Sea Journey,” pepper, cinnamon, pearls, ivory, silk, spikenard, diamonds, sapphires, and tortoise shell. The Armenian Gospel of the Childhood of Jesus, dated in the 5th century, gives details of the gifts brought by the Magus of India: “He offers gold, silver, precious stones, sapphires of great price, fine pearls.”