When Denia Ruled the Waves: a maritime history. Keith Smith
Report by Tom Stevenson
Well, what a turn out for today’s History talk! More than 90 members joined together in the Casa de Cultura to listen to Keith’s absorbing tale of Dénia, the Port which went from strength to strength across multiple cultures – and like many great successes in history, eventually declined. It was a revelation that the bustling “proper” Spanish town just a few kilometres from Jávea played such an important role in the Mediterranean, and across so many different cultures. Keith took us on a journey from the earliest days (Ibero-Celts) through all the successive Mediterranean powers. He demonstrated that Dénia’s importance as a maritime centre endured through all the succeeding regimes, right up to the raisin bonanza at the end of the 19th century.
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