Get 20M+ Full-Text Papers For Less Than $1.50/day. Start a 14-Day Trial for You or Your Team.

Learn More →

Venetian merchant activity within Mamluk Syria (886–893/1481–1487)1

Venetian merchant activity within Mamluk Syria (886–893/1481–1487)1 ©Al-Masāq, 7(1994): 1-33 VENETIAN MERCHANT ACTIVITY WITHIN MAMLUK SYRIA (886-893/1481-1487) 1 Eleanor A. Congdon Gonville and Caius College University of Cambridge In his book, Levant Trade in the Later Middle Ages, Eliyahu Ashtor states that "many of the Europeans living in the great towns of Egypt and Syria were experienced merchants. Most of them were agents for several firms ... for whom they carried out business over long periods of time".2 He made this statement in order to correct the supposition, articulated by Benjamin Kedar, that young men learning the business of commerce, while acting as factors for merchant houses to which they were bound by kinship ties, conducted the vast majority of trade activities in the Levant.3 Ashtor's implicit judgement that the Europeans considered the Levant to be an important market where experience and personal contacts, built up over time, were necessary for successful ventures, is correct. Neither this statement nor the text surrounding it, however, explain the functions of the people he designates as "agents", why "most" of the Europeans engaged in commerce should be given this label, or the roles of the "merchants" who were excluded from this categorization. This paper will expand upon and clarify http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Al-Masaq: Journal of the Medieval Mediterranean Taylor & Francis

Venetian merchant activity within Mamluk Syria (886–893/1481–1487)1

Download PDF

Venetian merchant activity within Mamluk Syria (886–893/1481–1487)1

Abstract

©Al-Masāq, 7(1994): 1-33 VENETIAN MERCHANT ACTIVITY WITHIN MAMLUK SYRIA (886-893/1481-1487) 1 Eleanor A. Congdon Gonville and Caius College University of Cambridge In his book, Levant Trade in the Later Middle Ages, Eliyahu Ashtor states that "many of the Europeans living in the great towns of Egypt and Syria were experienced merchants. Most of them were agents for several firms ... for whom they carried out business over long periods of time".2 He made this statement in...
Loading next page...
 
/lp/taylor-francis/venetian-merchant-activity-within-mamluk-syria-886-893-1481-1487-1-XePXJwUvIq
Publisher
Taylor & Francis
Copyright
Copyright Taylor & Francis Group, LLC
ISSN
1473-348X
eISSN
0950-3110
DOI
10.1080/09503119408577005
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

©Al-Masāq, 7(1994): 1-33 VENETIAN MERCHANT ACTIVITY WITHIN MAMLUK SYRIA (886-893/1481-1487) 1 Eleanor A. Congdon Gonville and Caius College University of Cambridge In his book, Levant Trade in the Later Middle Ages, Eliyahu Ashtor states that "many of the Europeans living in the great towns of Egypt and Syria were experienced merchants. Most of them were agents for several firms ... for whom they carried out business over long periods of time".2 He made this statement in order to correct the supposition, articulated by Benjamin Kedar, that young men learning the business of commerce, while acting as factors for merchant houses to which they were bound by kinship ties, conducted the vast majority of trade activities in the Levant.3 Ashtor's implicit judgement that the Europeans considered the Levant to be an important market where experience and personal contacts, built up over time, were necessary for successful ventures, is correct. Neither this statement nor the text surrounding it, however, explain the functions of the people he designates as "agents", why "most" of the Europeans engaged in commerce should be given this label, or the roles of the "merchants" who were excluded from this categorization. This paper will expand upon and clarify

Journal

Al-Masaq: Journal of the Medieval Mediterranean – Taylor & Francis

Published: Jan 1, 1994

There are no references for this article.