Territorial identification of Malay is of ancient origin. Various foreign and local records show that "Melayu" (Malay) and its similar sounding variants appear to apply as an old toponym to the territory in Sumatra, which later possibly adopted as the ancient Straits of Malacca region in general as it is common for people in the region. The term gradually developed circa 15th century into an ethnonym throughout Malacca when Sumatran-origin people migrated to the peninsula and consolidate the Melaka Sultanate as a regional power. Tome Pires, an apothecary who stayed in Malacca from 1512 to 1515, after the Portuguese conquest, explained how the former Malacca classified merchants calling its port into four groups, of which "Melayu" (the Malays) did not appear in the list, suggesting they were not then regarded as category outside the Malacca itself.