Bricks And Bastions, Connecting 17th- And 18th-Century Amsterdam And Asia

Summary

This is an abstract from the session entitled "Colonial Forts in Comparative, Global, and Contemporary Perspective", at the 2023 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology.

Archaeological research has exposed the remains of multiple 17th- and 18th-century fortifications built by the Dutch East India Company (VOC) from the Cape of Good Hope to the Far East. This data allows us to look at the types of forts employed by the Dutch, at the origins of their architecture, and at the nature and extent of adaptation to local circumstances. The VOC developed an interlocking military system. The introduction of European military architecture into tropical surroundings brought novel problems, leading to the introduction of new building materials. These included natural stone as well as bricks, the latter either imported from the Netherlands or locally produced. Building with these materials proved to be much more effective. This paper will elaborate on building materials and adaptations in VOC territories, in comparison with the military architecture employed in the city of Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Colonial Forts in Comparative, Global, and Contemporary Perspective   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2023

Keywords

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Nicole Haddow