OLD AND NEW EAST INDIES

The primary business focus of the VOC was trade, in both goods and people. In those days, it was primarily spices and unusual products from the East that received particular attention. The Dordrechter François Valentijn lived for many years on Ambon island and in Batavia. He wrote this book, which was the first standard Dutch work on Asia and remains an important source work on the history of the VOC. While it barely mentions slavery, recent research has shown that the Dutch role in slavery and the slave trade in Asia up to 1750 was greater than in the Atlantic region.