A first-class narrative writer blends his unique cartographic and topographic understanding of the key ports of early seaborne commerce.
We may think of ‘globalism’ as a recent development, but in fact its origins date back to the fifteenth century and beyond, when seafarers pioneered routes across the oceans with the objectives of exploration, trade, and profit.
These voyages only became possible after certain technical innovations— improvements in ship design, compasses, and mapping— which enabled navigation across unprecedented distances. The mariners’ embarkation points were the vibrant ports of the West—Venice, Amsterdam, Lisbon—and their destinations the exotic ports of the East – Malacca, Goa, Bombay—where they tracked down the elusive spices, so much in demand by Western palates.
This development of maritime communication brought benefits apart from culinary delights: the spread of ideas on art, literature and science. But it was not necessarily beneficial for everyone concerned: colonial ambitions were often disastrous for local populations, who were frequently exploited as slave plantation labor.
This wide-ranging account of a fascinating period of global history uses original maps and contemporary artists’ views to tell the story of how each port developed individually; while also encouraging us to consider contrasting points of view of the benefits and the damages of the maritime spice trade.
Nicholas Nugent has 40 years’ experience researching and reporting for BBC World Service. He is author of a biography of Rajiv Gandhi (BBC Books), a book about post-war Vietnam and continuing journalism. His personal collection of early maps and views supports the narrative.
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