DDRIG: An Historical Study of Rare Earth Metals, Geohistories, and Commercial Geography

University Of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia PA

Investigators

Abstract

This doctoral dissertation project investigates the relationship between the earth sciences, imperialism, and extractive industries in the early modern period (c. 1600-1750). It uses the global trade in precious stones as a case study, focusing on the major maritime trade route for gemstones from the sixteenth to eighteenth centuries. Gems have been of immense social and scientific value in diverse cultures for millenia, but by the beginning of the seventeenth century, unprecedented imperial ambitions created new global markets for the gem-trade. Through maritime commercial travel, previously inaccessible parts of the globe could now be empirically investigated, changing the methods and materials for understanding the earth’s composition. Findings will contextualize the history of geology in imperial expansion, the influence of mineralogical traditions in shaping the modern earth sciences, and the role of commerce in cross-cultural scientific exchange. More broadly, this project demonstrates the role of industry and economy in shaping the scientific enterprise. Historical archival research will be conducted in four centers of the seventeenth century gem-trade. Primary sources include the archives of the Dutch and English East India Companies, which document the activities of miners, artisans, and merchants dealing with gems. These documents will be analyzed to understand how interactions between those who worked with gems and those who studied them influenced knowledge of the composition and distribution of mineral deposits at a global scale. By evaluating the reliance of seventeenth century scientific inquiry on commercial sources, the project seeks to answer the extent to which growing interactions between pertinent regions were a significant factor shaping geographical, geo-chemical, and geological knowledge in the early modern era, and how relationships between science, states, and industry shaped subsequent developments in the earth sciences. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.