Mediterranean cities developed a form of «cosmopolitism» founded on a maritime and commercial basis. Harbours, which, out of the need for a long-distance trade, received in a somewhat constant fashion, groups of foreign merchants whose authority got stronger to encourage and to arrange trade. At the end of 17th –and above all during the 18th century– Malta developed its commercial dimension by partaking of the modern economic networks. The insular trade had become a structured activity, mixing on the one hand an increasing number of merchants and sailors who enjoyed either family support or friends relations and on the other interests interwoven in the harbours of different shores and mixing people of different cultures with the conservation of their identity. The importance of exchanges rendered this small island a cosmopolitan reality.
Seamen in Malta: a Cosmopolitan Reality
2008-01-01
Abstract
Mediterranean cities developed a form of «cosmopolitism» founded on a maritime and commercial basis. Harbours, which, out of the need for a long-distance trade, received in a somewhat constant fashion, groups of foreign merchants whose authority got stronger to encourage and to arrange trade. At the end of 17th –and above all during the 18th century– Malta developed its commercial dimension by partaking of the modern economic networks. The insular trade had become a structured activity, mixing on the one hand an increasing number of merchants and sailors who enjoyed either family support or friends relations and on the other interests interwoven in the harbours of different shores and mixing people of different cultures with the conservation of their identity. The importance of exchanges rendered this small island a cosmopolitan reality.Pubblicazioni consigliate
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