The Spice Islands and the age of discovery

Public Lecture | Updated 1 decade ago

Image copyright of Ian Burnet
Presenter Ian Burnet

Ian Burnet - Visiting Author

Clove and nutmeg trees are indigenous to a few tiny islands located in the eastern part of the Indonesia archipelago. These exotic spices were traded along the Spice Route and the Silk Road, and their trade came to be dominated by the Muslim merchants of the Middle East. It was the dream of explorers such as Christopher Columbus, Vasco da Gama and Ferdinand Magellan to capture the spice trade, driving the ‘Age of Discovery’ and the first circumnavigation of the world.

The Dutch East India Company (VOC) came to dominate this trade, until its monopoly was broken by the determined efforts of just one man, prior to this powerful company’s later collapse into bankruptcy. Join Ian Burnet as he tells this story of maritime history, the romance and the adventure of the spice trade from Eastern Indonesia, and its link to the 'Age of Discovery'.

Cost: Free event
Bookings: No bookings required

Ian Burnet will be available on the night to sign copies of his book Spice Islands: the history, romance and adventure of the spice trade over 2000 years (Rosenberg Publishing, 2011).