English: A MARKET IN BANTAM

Here, at the market in Bantam, the Dutch must have been lost in amazement. They encountered tradesmen from all corners of the world: Portuguese, Arabs, Turkish, Chinese, Bengali, Malabari etc.

For centuries, Bantam was the prime port of spices from islands further East and of the very sought-after pepper, which was grown around Bantam itself. It was pepper in particular, that attracted the Dutch. At the bazaar, melons, cucumbers and cocoa were for sale, but also sugar and honey, beans, bamboo andrattan, krisses, swords, spears and other weapons. There were separate departments for women's and men's wear and then there was the market for silk, damask, cloth, velvet and brocade. There was also meat, of course, and fruit, fish and rice. There were numerous stands with food and other stands to gape at jewelry, gold, silver and gems. At the Chinese market, they sold chinaware, but also copper, paper, little boxes, glasses, combs, sulfur, swords and fans.

The journal of "de eerste schipvaert" (the first voyage) devotes a full chapter to the Bantam market, which shows how important the Dutch considered an adequate description of the merchandise for which they had made the long and dangerous journey.*

Title: Actual description of the bazaar or market of Bantam including all the wares.

Text: The market in Bantam is structured as follows:
A. The place where they have melons, cucumbers, and coconuts.
B. Where one can buy sugar and honey.
C. They have beans.
D. Where one buys bamboo or sugarcane.
E. There one finds daggers, sabers, spears, and bassen (breech-loading swivel guns).
F. This is where the man sells fabric.
G. The women sell linen.
H. Spices.
I. One can find Bengalese and Gujarati (people from Gujarat) goods and all different kinds of iron works.
K. The Chinese goods.
M. Is the fish market.
N. The fruit market.
O. The herb market.
P. One can find pepper.
Q. The onion market.
R. The rice market.
S. The place where the traders socialize with each other.
T. The jewelers which trade with gem stones.
V. The foreign boats/ which bring all kinds of food to the market.

X. The poultry market where one can find all kinds of fowl.