June 13 - Gibraltar Museum Lecture Series: History of a Port
Dr Geraldine Finlayson will be giving the third of the current Museum Lecture Series. The theme will revolve around Gibraltar as a port. The strategic geographical location of Gibraltar, between the Atlantic and the Mediterranean and straddling two continents, has attracted maritime activity since its very origins. Dr Finlayson will show how recent research is indicating that eastern Mediterranean mariners may have been reaching the Strait as far back as 3,500 years ago. These may have been pioneering incursions by early Greeks that were consolidated later by the colonisation of the area by Phoenicians and Carthaginians. Dr Finlayson will trace the locations of the early ports associated with Gibraltar.
It was during the 14th Century, after the second capture of Gibraltar by Berber forces from North Africa that a significant port developed close to present-day Casemates Square. Dr Finlayson was directly involved in the excavation of part of this naval facility so her insights into this period will include first-hand accounts of the discovery. With the British capture of Gibraltar in 1704, the port was soon moved south away from enemy artillery. The 18th and 19th Century development of the military and commercial ports will be covered and will include an analysis of maritime activity based on original Port of Gibraltar logs that Dr Finlayson is currently studying. The end of the 19th Century was marked by a major upheaval that brought new immigrants who came to construct the torpedo-proof harbour and dockyards between 1894 and 1906. The new facility was to serve its purpose during the Great War and then the Second World War.
The lecture, which will be given at the John Mackintosh Hall on Tuesday 18th June at 7pm, is open to the public.
