Indian Inscriptions in Egypt’s Valley of Kings Unearthed: What it Means?

Nearly 30 Indian inscriptions dating from the 1st to 3rd centuries CE have been identified inside tombs in Egypt’s Valley of the Kings, shedding new light on early transoceanic links between the Indian subcontinent and the Roman world. The findings, documented in a 2024–2025 study, reveal that Indian travellers ventured far beyond Red Sea ports and left their names alongside Greek and Latin graffiti in the Theban Necropolis.

The research was conducted by Charlotte Schmid of the École Française d’Extrême-Orient (EFEO) and Ingo Strauch of the University of Lausanne. Their paper, titled From the Valley of the Kings to India: Indian Inscriptions in Egypt, documents inscriptions in Tamil-Brahmi, Sanskrit and Prakrit across six tombs.

Discovery Hidden In Plain Sight

The Valley of the Kings, known for housing the tombs of New Kingdom pharaohs over three millennia ago, has long been recognised for its extensive Greek graffiti. More than 2,000 such inscriptions were catalogued in 1926 by French scholar Jules Baillet.

However, the newly identified Indian inscriptions had remained unrecognised for decades. Strauch first noticed unusual markings during a tourist visit in January 2024. After sharing photographs with Schmid, the scholars returned for a focused study and identified nearly 30 inscriptions, around 20 in Tamil-Brahmi and the remainder in Sanskrit, Prakrit and Gandhari-Kharosthi scripts.

A Tamil Name Repeated Eight Times

Among the inscriptions, one name stands out: Cikai Koṟṟaṉ. It appears eight times across five tombs, including one placed approximately four metres above an entrance, suggesting deliberate positioning.

Schmid explained that the first part of the name may connect to the Sanskrit term śikhā, meaning tuft or crown, while “Koṟṟaṉ” derives from a Tamil root associated with victory and rulership. The name echoes Koṟṟavai, the Chera warrior goddess, and appears in Sangam literature, including references to the Chera king Piṭṭāṅkoṟṟaṉ.

The name Koṟṟaṉ has also been found at Berenike, a Red Sea port in Roman Egypt, where Indian inscriptions and trade artefacts, including pepper and beads, have previously been discovered. These parallels link the Egyptian graffiti to ancient Tamilakam’s literary and epigraphic traditions.

“Came and Saw” in Tamil

Another inscription reads “Kopāṉ varata kantan,” meaning “Kopāṉ came and saw.” Researchers note that the phrasing resembles formulaic declarations common in Greek graffiti from the same tombs, indicating cultural interaction.

Other Tamil names identified include Cātaṉ and Kiraṉ, both known from early Tamil-Brahmi inscriptions in South India. According to the researchers, the Indian visitors were likely participating in a broader Mediterranean custom of leaving marks at sacred or monumental sites.

Beyond Tamil: A Wider Indian Presence

While most inscriptions are in Tamil-Brahmi, about ten are in Sanskrit, Prakrit and Gandhari-Kharosthi. One Sanskrit text mentions an envoy of a Kshaharata king who “came here,” pointing to connections with the Kshaharata dynasty that ruled parts of western India in the 1st century CE.

This linguistic diversity suggests that travellers from northwestern and western India, including regions such as Gujarat and Maharashtra, were part of these networks. The evidence indicates that Indo-Roman trade was not limited to a single coastal region or language group.

From Port Cities to Inland Egypt

Previous scholarship focused largely on Berenike as the gateway between Roman Egypt and the Indian Ocean. The Valley of the Kings, located inland along the Nile near ancient Thebes, expands that narrative.

The inscriptions demonstrate that Indian merchants and envoys did not merely dock at ports for trade. They travelled inland, visited monumental sites and engaged in local commemorative practices. The brief inscriptions, mostly names and statements of arrival, nonetheless reflect literacy, mobility and cultural confidence.

Rethinking Indo-Roman Exchange

Classical authors such as Pliny and Ptolemy documented extensive trade between Rome and India, including exports of pepper, gemstones, ivory and textiles. The Egyptian graffiti now provides personal evidence of Indians present in Roman Egypt.

The addition of around 20 Tamil-Brahmi inscriptions in Egypt is particularly significant given that only about a hundred such inscriptions are known from India itself. Scholars suggest that writing in Tamilakam may have often occurred on perishable materials such as palm leaves, limiting survival.

The Valley of the Kings, constructed in the 16th century BCE, had become a tourist destination during the Roman period. The dry climate and protected interiors of the rock-cut tombs likely helped preserve the inscriptions for nearly two millennia.

A Cosmopolitan Indian Ocean World

The discovery adds depth to the understanding of the ancient Indian Ocean world. It confirms that Indian merchants, envoys and travellers were active participants in Mediterranean networks, not merely distant trading partners.

Though modest in scale compared to the thousands of Greek inscriptions, the Indian names, carved in Tamil-Brahmi curves and Sanskrit syllables, offer direct testimony of cross-cultural movement during the early centuries of the Common Era.

For historians of South Asia and the Mediterranean, the findings underscore a vibrant, multilingual and interconnected world where individuals from Tamilakam and beyond stood beneath pharaonic tombs and left their mark in stone.