Since the late Middle Ages, trade networks supplied imported wood from different sources, and, by the early 17 th century, wood had become one of the five main import products in the Dutch Republic, together with grain, salt, herring and textiles. Shipbuilding activity thrived despite the lack of native woodlands within the Republic’s confinements and hinterland. ĭuring the 17th century, the VOC led the European trade with and within Asia, operating a fleet of large ocean-going vessels that were built and fitted in VOC shipyards in the Dutch Republic. Since its foundation in 1602 CE, the VOC pioneered the model for a joint-stock company with a permanent capital base hence, it is often considered the world’s first globalised enterprise at the dawn of modern capitalism. The expansion of Dutch seafaring in the Early Modern Period is documented extensively in historical archives, especially regarding the Dutch East India Company ( Verenigde Oostindische Compagnie, hereafter VOC). This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.ĭata Availability: Data available at: doi: 10.5281/zenodo.4732901.įunding: WvD LP130100137 Australian Research Council No MD-D 607545 FP7 People Programme (Marie Curie Actions) 016.Veni.195.502 Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek AD 677152 European Research Council No The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.Ĭompeting interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist. Received: JAccepted: OctoPublished: October 29, 2021Ĭopyright: © 2021 Daly et al. PLoS ONE 16(10):Įditor: Adam Csank, University of Nevada, Reno, UNITED STATES These strategies, combined with an innovative hull design and the use of wind-powered sawmills, allowed the Dutch to produce unprecedented numbers of ocean-going ships for long-distance voyaging and interregional trade in Asia, proving key to their success in 17 th-century world trade.Ĭitation: Daly A, Domínguez-Delmás M, van Duivenvoorde W (2021) Batavia shipwreck timbers reveal a key to Dutch success in 17th-century world trade.
Our research illustrates the compatibility of dendrochronological studies with musealisation of shipwreck assemblages, and the results demonstrate that the VOC successfully coped with timber shortages in the early 17th century through diversification of timber sources (mainly Baltic region, Lübeck hinterland in northern Germany, and Lower Saxony in northwest Germany), allocation of sourcing regions to specific timber products (hull planks from the Baltic and Lübeck, framing elements from Lower Saxony), and skillful woodworking craftmanship (sapwood was removed from all timber elements).
Oak ( Quercus sp.) was the preferred material for shipbuilding in northern and western Europe, and maritime nations struggled to ensure sufficient supplies to meet their needs and sustain their ever-growing mercantile fleets and networks. In the 17th century, the VOC grew to become the first multinational trading enterprise, prompting the rise of the stock market and modern capitalism. Built in Amsterdam in 1628 CE and wrecked on its maiden voyage in June 1629 CE in Western Australian waters, Batavia epitomises Dutch East India Company ( Verenigde Oostindische Compagnie, or VOC) shipbuilding. Here we present the results of dendroarchaeological research carried out on Batavia’s wreck timbers, currently on display at the Western Australian Shipwrecks Museum in Fremantle. Shipwreck timbers hold material evidence of the dynamic interplay of wood supplies, craftmanship, and evolving ship designs that helped shape the Early Modern world. Ocean-going ships were key to rising maritime economies of the Early Modern period, and understanding how they were built is critical to grasp the challenges faced by shipwrights and merchant seafarers.
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