The Spice Ports: Mapping the Origins of the Global Sea Trade

We may think of "globalism" as a recent development but 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-enabled navigation across unprecedented distances. The mariners' embarkation points were the vibrant ports of the West-Venice, Amsterdam, Lisbon-and the...