SPONGE-FISHING PARTNERSHIPS AND COMPANIES IN THE ISLAND OF HYDRA AT THE END OF THE GREEK REVOLUTION AND THE EARLY YEARS OF KING OTTO’S PERIOD (1830-1840)
Abstract
The article focuses on the early growth of sponge-fishing conducted by inhabitants of the island of Hydra during the 1830s, that is, the last years of the Greek Revolution and the first years of King Otto's reign. In particular, it is argued that during these years the foundations were laid for the island to become, after the 1860s, the main sponge-diving center of the Greek state.
Making use of documents from archival collections located on the island of Hydra –especially notarial deeds– the article examines the sponge-diving partnerships established in Hydra during those years, with an emphasis on their organizational characteristics. Specifically, the arti¬cle discusses the financing practices of sponge fishing companies, the forms of payment and profit distribution among the partnerships' members as well as the preparation of the sponge fishing expedition in the seas of the eastern Mediterranean and the north African coast. The article argues that sponge fishing constituted a source of income for a significant part of the island population, former members of the revolutionary fleet’s crews who, after the end of the Revolution, faced the risk of unemployment.
The article argues that members of the island’s wealthy families, espe¬cially ship-owners and captains, gradually chose also to invest their capital in sponge fishing. This commercial strategy was part of their persistent effort to continue their maritime business and successfully reintegrate into the local, regional and wider networks of Mediterranean sea-trade and shipping, from which they had been cut off for a period of about 8-9 years. At the same time, their involvement in the sponge-fishing culminated in the increase of their power over the divers – members of the companies they financed and, in general, to the sharpening of social and economic differentiation within the island. It contributed also to the ‘‘profession¬alization’’ and commercialization of sponge fishing as a distinct sector of economic activity during the first decades of existence of the Greek state.
Article Details
- How to Cite
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ANTYPAS, M. (2024). SPONGE-FISHING PARTNERSHIPS AND COMPANIES IN THE ISLAND OF HYDRA AT THE END OF THE GREEK REVOLUTION AND THE EARLY YEARS OF KING OTTO’S PERIOD (1830-1840). Mnimon, 39, 59–85. https://doi.org/10.12681/mnimon.37409
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- Vol. 39 (2022): Mnimon
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- ARTICLES
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