Carte Particuliere des Isles Moluques

An 18th century French map of the famed Spice Islands.

Today, the Moluccas are a relatively inauspicious set of islands in eastern Indonesia. But between the 16th and 18th centuries, they were the focus of intense European rivalries aiming to capture the lucrative international spice trade. Nutmeg, mace, and clove were all found in abundance on the islands, and these commodities could fetch enormous sums at markets in Europe and the Middle East.

The map identifies eleven different islands and individually labels towns, ports, and forts; the last of which was of particular importance in the ongoing conflicts over spices.

Published by Jacques Nicholas Bellin in 1764 for inclusion in Abbe Prevost d’Exiles’ important book, Histoire generale des voyages.