Tracing maritime trade in the North Sea between the 16th and 18th centuries

Jul 1, 2011 - Sep 25, 2011

At the Musée Portuaire in Dunkerque, France, visitors can visit “Tracing maritime trade in the North Sea between the 16th and 18th centuries”, a new exhibition that runs from July 1 until September 25. The museum defines three approaches to tell the story of maritime trade. Firstly, archival documents and ancient maps tell us the history of the trade, which were the important centres, what was traded, which routes were followed... Secondly, archaeological objects reveal the mysteries of the past treasures. Lastly, dendrology, palynology and underwater archaeology help us get a better understanding of how the trade was organised in practice.

The exhibition combines all these approaches into one and offers as such a quite complete and all encompassing view of the history of maritime trade in the North Sea during the 16^th, 17^th and 18^th centuries. The exhibition tells the story of several wrecks based on historical research, richly documented with paintings, ship models and other artefacts.

For this exhibition several museums in France, Belgium, the Netherlands and England lent objects and cooperated, placing the common history of these countries in the spotlight. There is also a richly illustrated publication available for sale at the museum.

Read the (French) press release here