Palmyra_Tariff
The Palmyra Tariff is an ancient bilingual limestone inscription discovered in Palmyra, Syria. Dating to the 2nd century CE, the inscription provides valuable insights into the economic and political structure of the city and the wider Roman Empire. It is the longest lapidary Aramaic inscription ever found.[1]
It was discovered in 1881 by Semyon Abamelek-Lazarev, and in 1901 was gifted by the Ottoman Sultan Abdul Hamid II to Tsar Nicholas II and is now in the Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg.[2][3]
Historian John Matthews described the tariff as "one of the most important single items of evidence for the economic life of any part of the Roman Empire".[4]
The inscription is known as PAT 0259, CIS II 3913, NSI 147 and TSSI IV 37.