Chapter 1 Archives - The Killing Age

Map 1.1 Gunpowder

Using records held in the National Archives in London, this map shows the flow of British gunpowder during the eighteenth century. A majority of exports went to Africa, fueling the Atlantic slave trade.

back to images & maps This map illustrates official British gunpowder exports during the eighteenth century. Most exports were tied to the slave trade and to the development and maintenance of slave regimes in the Americas. Clearly, Africa received the lion’s share of exports. Other European countries were also exporting powder to Africa, from France […]

Ch 1.3. Early Industrial Birmingham

Illustration of early industrial Birmingham, England, where many weapons were made.

back to images & maps Early Industrial Birmingham We usually think of Manchester as the birthplace of England’s industrial revolution. The truth is more complicated. For example, there was widespread use of steam engines in London and in other emerging cities, especially Birmingham. Birmingham was well positioned, with nearby coal and metal deposits. This illustration […]

Ch 1.1 Entry and Exit Wound

Wounds to human body by musket with entry and exit. Demonstrates lethality of musket ball.

back to images & maps Ch1.1. Entry and Exit Wound. Ch1.1. Entry and Exit Wound. The musket changed warfare, everything from tactics to the experience of pain. It also changed medicine. The gun produced gaping wounds and shattered bones, very different from weapons like an arrow. This image, from the Surgeon General’s Office, comes from […]

Ch 1.5 Dyak musket ball holder

This Dyak Musket ball holder showing fearsome face demonstrates incorporation of Western weapons into non-Western art.

back to images & maps Ch1.5. Dyak musket ball holder Dyak musket ball holder Everywhere, indigenous peoples incorporated Western arms into their arts and crafts. The adoption of guns was a revolutionary development, and for many peoples they possessed magical powers. In this image, you can clearly see two musket balls.

Ch 1.4 East India Dock

Illustration of the East India Dock along Thames River, London, operated by the East India Company. Shows the importance of commerce from Indian Ocean.

back to images & maps Ch1.4. East India Dock. East India Dock. London was the “capital of capital,” and much of this was related to volume of goods moving up the Thames. Shipping required dockage as well as the more mundane work of simply regulating river traffic. Building the East India Docks was a major […]

Ch 1.2 “Ruins of Ratcliffe”

Illustration of aftermath of explosion in London, 1794, from saltpeter.

back to images & maps Ch1.2. “Ruins of Ratcliffe” “Ruins of Ratcliffe,” 1794. British Library. Saltpetre (saltpeter), or potassium nitrate, is a white crystal that easily dissolves in water. It has a wide range of industrial uses, but it is most famous for being the primary component of gunpowder. Saltpetre is highly combustible, which means […]