At the Renaissance Society of America annual meeting 2023
Benedetto Ligorio, Ph.D., Post Doc Early Modern History, Department of Philosophy in Villa Mirafiori, Sapienza University of Rome
will present the paper:
In Synchrony to the Breath of the Sea: The Dubrovnik Port Jews and Cross-Cultural Trade
The alternation of the seasons conditioned the economic and maritime life of the Mediterranean, especially for those with large fleets like the Ragusans. The Republic of Dubrovnik was, furthermore, one of the most important hubs of the Jewish migratory route, and the Sephardim brought with them their connections and established new commercial networks as part of a dynamic cultural and scientific exchange. The Port Jews established a cross-cultural network across the Mediterranean despite state conflicts, and the Dubrovnik Republic was the perfect vector for successful trade. The mediatory role played by Jewish merchants made up for the absence of an Ottoman merchant class and helped to strengthen the dense commercial network of the Dubrovnik Papal State and the Republic of Venice. All Ragusan trade was strictly connected with climate conditions however, and these determined the economic life of the Maritime Republic of Ragusa/Dubrovnik and of the Port Jews.
European Jewish History Project 