by Henry M. Ericsson, Lanre Balogun, Liza Kurylova, Naghmeh Najafabadi and Franklin Wanzi Nganje

Introduction

This paper was written for the League of Worlds conference to be held on October 10-15, 2004, at Arcada Polytechnic in Helsinki, Finland. The paper attempts to create a credible economic history for the island of Rosario. The history will serve as a framework and take-off ramp for student assignments connected to the development of the island.

The tapestry of this history is woven from the warp of published material about Rosario and historic research about the Mediterranean, crossed with the weft of ancient legend and the imagination of the writers. History is written by the winners, and re-written by the survivors. May this history be adjusted, corrected and embellished by countless cohorts of students to come.

Period I: 1850 BC – 1291 AD: La Kin Landi – The Five Territories

“If a sparrow flies over Rosario, he must take his own grain of corn with him”. Old Rosarian proverb.

1850 B.C. Hunting

Life has always been tough on the dry Mediterranean island of Rosario. Since prehistoric times, the inhabitants have hunted wild goats (‘caprex’) on the mountain slopes and large “killer” rabbits (‘mara’) on the scrawny flatlands.

1250 B.C. Agriculture

Pablo, Pablo, born under a bad sign,
Your field lies fallow under the scorching wind,
More chestnuts into your bread you must grind…

From the Rosarian epic “High on Monto Svantago” by Giovanni Lodovico Fablomonto

Thanks to the frequent trading contacts with Mesopotamia, through the oasis of Palmyra, knowledge of cereal farming trickled into the island. Wheat and oats were sown, and after many experiments with stone-milling by hand, and baking in earth pits, the resulting ‘pita’ bread was grudgingly accepted by the Rosarians. Similarly, barley and millet were introduced by immigrants from Rosetta in Egypt, along with the secret of beer brewing. Locally made crude beer enlivened the local festivals. Later, at the time of the Viking tours in the 1150s, a more potent form of corn beer was introduced, causing some trade disruptions. The resulting Viking Brand beer is a strong brand among Mediterranean beer lovers.

Grain for the everyday bread became even scarcer on Rosario, as the higher-value crops such as grapes and olives tend to push out the low-yielding cereals from the very limited acreage available. The meager soil requires crop rotation, with the land lying fallow every other year. Cereal imports have been sourced from nearby surplus areas, normally from Sicily through the port of Catania, or from Egypt through the delta ports of Rosetta and Damietta. Apulia and Thessaly have also supplied grains. Wheat is the preferred cereal, but in times of extreme scarcity the islanders have grudgingly resorted to rye, millet, rice and animal fodder such as oats and chestnuts.

Poultry “Not enough meat, too many bones”. Old Rosarian proverb.

The annual migration of birds, such as thrush, starling and quail, has since time immemorial caused the local population to man the southern slopes of the island with their catch nets on the ready. The tasty small fowl give a nourishing supplement to the Rosarian diet. Some scrawny chicken are kept for egg production and domestic consumption, while chicken for the food market are imported in frozen state. Pigeon towers can also be seen in the countryside.

900 B.C. Animal husbandry

After the Unesma Explosuro in 1002, the island was covered with ash and lava. The mountain slopes were first cleared up by the winter rains, and the displaced farmers took to animal husbandry, by domesticating the local goats, and importing sheep from the Penelope stables in Ithaca. The need to survive forced the male population to drink milk and eat goat’s cheese. After the autumn slaughter, meat was dried and stuffed into sausages. The animal hides were barked into fleece (skins) for blankets and rugs. A small handicraft industry sprang up, making distinctive belts, shoes and other leather goods to help pay for imports.

800 B.C. Glass-making

The secret of glass manufacture was transferred to the island when a local princess, Roza Melodia, married Pyrex Vitro, a visiting chieftain with artistic skills, from Tyre in Phoenicia. After successful trials with the local sand in the Hampo area, a small-scale glass works started to thrive. Its first products were glass beads for jewelry, soon to be followed by the distinct fish-shaped beakers and vases that still form the nucleus of the glassware collection. Throughout the centuries, ‘Rozaglas’ has obtained a reputation for beauty and quality, fully on level with the ‘Murano’ glass of Venice. As the island has no metals for coinage, exports of glassware have always been instrumental in paying for imports necessary for the survival of the Rosarians. In the 1850s, manual production of glass bottles was started, to supply the small-scale breweries and vineries on the island.

750 BC Insurance and banking

The service sector has always been important for Rosario. The successive surges of overpopulation and consequent emigrational waves from the island have resulted in a tightly knit network of expatriates, connecting Rosarian services and trade worldwide.

Insurance of vessels and cargo follows a long tradition. Legend has it that when Odysseus had completed his raft on Malta, he took out insurance from Circe, the local agent of Rosarian underwriters, who later lent her name to the eponymous Circe Maritime Insurance Co. based in Marinetta.

Banking is equally important. The Rosarian golden ‘pieces-of-four’ or ‘doubloons’ traditionally had a 24-karat image, and were sought after as trusted currency, in times when larger states debased and devalued their monies.

Today, Rosario is not for nothing called ‘Little Switzerland’, or ‘Helvetino’ in the local language, although it sports only one peak of Alpine elevation. Foreign princes and merchants have habitually squirreled away part of their ill-begotten gains in the neutral, secure haven of Rosario. The monetary wizards of the Marinetta office tower have been quick to adopt the latest financial instruments to enhance the wealth of their clients, from Andorra to Zimbabwe.

650 B.C. Commerce and trading

After some patchy attempts at trading during Phoenician times, commerce picked up during the Greek colonization that started in 678 B.C. The administrators from Leuca not unwillingly married into the local families, establishing the dynasties of Boneti and Marineti which still dominate business life on the island. In Greek and Roman times, locally produced ‘caprese’ cheese and ‘garum’ anchovy paste were exchanged for cotton cloth from Aleppo, copper jewelry from Cyprus and gold dust from Sudan. In modern times, the Lattice Trading Company ably run by young Liza Boneti handles the island’s main import and export business through its widely spread network of relatives and associates in more than 50 countries all over the globe.

500 B.C. Fishing ‘Admire the sea, stay on land’.

This ancient Rosarian proverb summed up the attitude of the ancient island dwellers who never learned to swim. Fishing of anchovies and blue-fin tuna has been performed collectively by using dragnets in the shallow bays of the three western islets. Sardines and fork-beards are found further offshore.

Offshore fishing was introduced by hardy Greeks, wind-driven from the islands of Kythere and Zakynthos. Their traditional straight-stemmed ‘Luzzu’ type of fishing boat, with its ‘oculus’ eye in the bow, is still adhered to today on Rosario, although influences from the visiting Vikings can also be seen from the shields carried along the gunwale. Today, sail-driven fishing is for tourists only, while the hurried professional fishermen of modern times have fitted their small craft with one, two or even three engines. The scarce shellfish is sold to Rosarian upscale restaurants such as ‘Barracuda’, for a good price that almost pays for the diesel fuel.

Nowadays, Rosarian professional fishermen use purse seining, trawling and surface long-lining. The fish is taken to the island for processing into frozen and canned fish.

50 A.D. Vini- and horticulture

The Roman period (45 – 250 A.D.) brought to fruition the earlier Greek attempts at viniculture and horticulture on the island. Skilled winemakers such as Giovanni Gattopardo from Marsala on Sicily and Costas Skandalakis from Candia on Crete immigrated, settled and transferred their crafts and methods to the island. Vines thrive on the hillsides, where not much else could be grown. The volcanic soil and fierce sunlight gave birth to a forceful wine, much in demand by oenologists. The wine is produced by time-honored methods of pressing and fermenting. The casks and barrels needed for wine exports have to be imported from Frejus in Provence.

By a special, closely guarded process invented in 1575, a sweet dessert wine called ‘malmsey’, not unlike marsala or port, was developed. Malmsey is prized especially by visiting ship captains, who traditionally stock up on the renowned ‘Hornblower’ brand of malmsey, still produced by the Gattopardo vineries, and supplied in the unique fish-shaped bottle supplied by Rozaglas. In a good year, when the harvest is abundant, part of the grapes are converted to premium ‘Aktipitro’ brand raisins, and exported in deluxe glass jars.

The Romans also supported the planting and nurture of olive trees, which give much-needed shadow to the ground, allowing lentils and vegetables to grow underneath. The Manzanillo, Sevillano and Ascolano varieties all thrive on the island. Part of the annual olive harvest is pressed to virgin olive oil, using traditional stone mills. The rest of the harvest is de-stoned, often filled with anchovy or almonds, and distributed in premium glass jars. The Rosarian ‘tapenade’ of olive oil, garlic and lemon, is well-known and exported.

1292 A.D. Animal husbandry

During the Rosarian interlude of the Knights of St. John, the commander Aleksi Versace engaged in some horse-trading in order to create St.John Cavalry. No less than four horses were imported to the island, two from Thessaly in Greece, and two from Oran in Mahgreb. The Rosarians regarded these hitherto unknown beasts with great amazement. Half a dozen donkeys were also recruited from Peloponnesus to serve as pack animals for local transportation, and for plowing the limited fields available. From these ancestors sprang a crop of mules, still to be seen on the island, steadfastly carting refuse, tourists and other rubbish.

1250 A.D. Textiles, cotton, silk

Yarns and textiles for clothing and furnishings have mainly been imported, except for the odd woolen caps and mittens knitted by wives of fishermen and sailors. The limited amounts of wool shorn from the small herds of scrawny sheep were supplemented by imports from Spanish and Greek wool merchants. Flax and linen cloth for ceremonial robes was brought from Egypt and in the middle Ages also from Flanders.

Cotton as an airy and inexpensive fabric was purchased from Egypt and Syria. To improve its durability, local weavers developed composite cloth such as fustian (wool/cotton) which found their niche markets for export.

In about 1250 AD, the Byzantine capital of Constantinople acquired the silk making secrets by stealth from China. When Aleksi Versace visited the Emperor and presented him with a Rozaglas vase, he received a silk-making license in return. He gave it to his third son, Donatello Dior, who promptly imported a colony of silkworms and planted mulberry trees for the worms to feed on. After some years, the mulberry trees withered on the dry island, but the skill of silk weaving was picked up by the artisans of the Pedrokampulo village. Today, their looms are still humming away, using imported silk yarn to produce scarves and ties for fashion-conscious tourists.

1251 AD Salt

In the great northwesterly gale of 1251, young Jorge Salinas was windblown from his native Ibiza, and finally shipwrecked in the Orakoro bay on Rosario. Being an apprentice salt maker, he decided to stay, and developed the natural lagoons on the western shoreline. Using evaporation of sea water by natural sunlight, these ‘salinas’ are sufficient to cover the salt intake of Rosario’s sheep and other inhabitants, and also generate a small but steady export income for the island.

Period II: 1292-1348: La Kurta Reguleri – The Short Kingdom

1347 A.D. Shipping

‘Navigare necesse est’ has always been true for the water-encircled Rosarians. However, as trees have been scarce and metals nonexistent on the island, shipbuilding has been restricted to small fishing boats. The windfall for shipping came in 1347 with the Black Death, which spared Rosario. After the worst was over, young Gian Andrea Marineti went to the seaports of Ragusa and Durazzo on the Dalmatian coast, and purchased a fleet of second-hand ‘round ships’ for trading. Simultaneously, his father Christoforo introduced a decree, still in force, which guaranteed Rosarian vessels a majority of the island’s seaborne trade.

Rosario’s traditional neutral stance in major conflicts has ensured its flexible ship-owners a profitable trade in weapons, munitions and other contraband in times of crisis. When the legendary Marinettan freebooter Algoto Niscano excused himself for ‘checking something on the boat’, he was usually supervising the loading of Kalashnikovs for Levantine MOD’s (Merchants of Death). The English and German troops staying on after World War II were not slow to take up this tradition.

To the present day, Rosarians have kept their edge in shipping. Vessels in the ‘Rosarian Register of Shipping’ enjoy the same ‘flag of convenience’ rights as ships from Cyprus, Panama and Liberia. The Marineti-owned Circe Line has a fleet of modern ‘Ropax’ ferries plying not only the Ionian and Aegean Sea, but also the Tyrrhenian Sea, the Balearic routes, the English Channel and the Baltic.

Period IV: 1408-1880: La Longa Reguleri – the Long Kingdom

1498 AD Publishing

Rosario has traditionally been a centre of learning, a crossroads where the Phoenician letters met the Arabic numerals. In 480 BC, Darius, a disciple of Heracleitos, philosophized on the effects of volcanic gas on the human brain. His writings were believed to be lost, but fortunately a Rosarian librarian managed to salvage a number of original Greek manuscripts from the Alexandrian library before it was looted and burned in 200 A.D. The valuable Darian manuscripts were deposited at the Monastery of Blanka Stona. In 1356 AD, the Ilana College started to teach in unusual subjects. Slowly, the now renowned University of Rosario grew up around these nuclei.

Copying by hand was the traditional way of publishing and still used in 1551 AD for the first series of the Rosarian epic ‘Ni Estas De Nebulo’. Due to the book’s runaway popularity, and the innate reluctance of the islanders towards manual labor, a Venetian print shop apprentice named Alvise Coloprinti was invited to Marinetta in 1558 to set up the first printing shop on the island. (Already in 1498, Venice had adopted the revolutionary printing press invented by the German Johann Gutenberg in 1448).

So came into being the Redaktaji Kolegio, or Writers’ Guild. Despite having to rely on imported paper, it has managed to run a successful trade in publishing and printing historical and scientific books. It also publishes the ‘Daily Rosarian’, a respected and widely circulated newspaper published in the English as well as Ido, the Rosarian language. This daily paper is also appreciated as an excellent medium for wrapping fish in, being subsidized and thus considerably cheaper than ordinary household paper.

1500 AD Metals, ores

Unfortunately, no metal deposits have been found on the island of Rosario. Consequently, the islanders have throughout their history valued gold and silver highly, as displays of wealth, easily carried in good times, and quickly hidden in bad times. Gold has been imported from Africa, using both the eastern route via the Nile from Sudan, and the western route via Algiers from Senegal and Niger. Silver was originally brought from Corsica, but in the 16th century, a part of the Spanish silver from the Potosi mines in the New World started to trickle into Rosario, as pieces-of-eight payments to Rosarian ship-owners and expatriates serving as corregidors in the vast Spanish empire.

Throughout history, copper and tin have been in demand to make bronze weapons, from the swords used in the Trojan war (800 BC) to the cannons used by the Turks in the siege of Malta (1560 AD). Copper was originally brought from nearby Cyprus, later purchased via Venice from German mines near Augsburg. Tin from Portugal was later supplemented by imports from England. The Rosarian expertise in weaponry is still evident today, as visible sales of medieval replicas (swords, shields, strongbows) to tourists, and a rather invisible, illegitimate trade in modern arms (Kalashnikovs, Exocets) to all interested parties in the Middle East and Central Africa.

1550 AD Fruit, spices, vegetables

Fruit: The lemon was introduced from Sicily in the late 15th century. After the discovery of the New World, the orange tree was first planted on Rosario in the mid-16th century. Small amounts of melons, watermelons, figs, pomegranates and almonds are grown for local use. The seeds were brought by travelers from North Africa.

Spicy herbs grow abundantly on the island, and add their fragrance to the local atmosphere, as noted already in 48 BC by the Roman conquerors. Basil, chamomile, cumin, dill, oregano, mint, rosemary, sage, thyme and parsley sprout freely. The local herbs are used to give that extra zip to the food delicacies produced on the island.

Vegetables: Farmers and villa owners grow small amounts of beans, lentils and chick peas for their own consumption. Typical growing places are terraced, shady slopes and in the shade below olive trees.

1812 AD Tourism

Early tourism started with the reputed visits of Odysseus after the Trojan War in 800 B.C. According to folk legend, Odysseus visited Polyphemos, the giant Cyclops, in a cave underneath la Monto Svantago. It is also surmised that the hero’s erratic ten-year course may have resulted from swirling eddies of the disorienting volcanic gas erupting from La Monto Svantago on Rosario.

St. Hieronymus, the patron saint of the Blanka Stona monastery, is widely revered in the Mediterranean, and the venerated relic of his left thumb is the subject of regular religious pilgrimage, having a positive impact on the Rosarian tourist trade.

Later famous tourists include the Turkish admiral Dragut on his way to the siege of Malta in 1550 A.D., the French emperor Napoleon on his way to Egypt in 1812, and the British admiral Horatio Nelson, in hot pursuit of ‘Bony’. Due to the urgent nature of these visits, their immediate impact on the local economy was slight. However, today’s tourists are able to enjoy guided tours to Odysseus’ cave, the audiovisual Dragut Experience, the Napoleonic Museum and Nelson’s Inn. In 1885, the Marinetta Casino was inaugurated, but after a slow start, it finally closed in 1954.

Nowadays, on account of the physical smallness of the island, Rosario has focused on the high end of the tourist market. The five Marinettan hotels Olympia, Domingo, Aurora, Stella and Irma serve visitors to the island. Millionaires are welcome to keep their luxury yachts at the Porto Malgrande Yacht Club, all year round. Well-to-do passengers from a limited number of up-market cruise liners are admitted daily to the island, and given a well orchestrated tour of the sites, in air-conditioned tourist coaches. By a series of finely tuned measures, not least a rather high price level, Rosario manages to avoid the low end of the market, as manifested by the absence of British football hooligans and German Sauerkraut eaters. The lingering memories of the gases released in the Kinesma Explozuro in 1996 may also have their effect on keeping tourist numbers within limits.

Period VI: 1880-1957: La Republiko – the Republic

1864 AD Telecommunications

In this year, Pedro Guilami introduced the telephone, then a novelty, to a skeptic group of islanders. Despite this mixed reception, King Aleksi II caused a local phone network to be built in 1877. Thus started the development of what is today called the Wired Island. The scientific labs on the island, especially Z-Labs and Moldovak Inc., have a tradition of encouraging far-out research, and thus attract oddball researchers on their sabbaticals, wanting to push the edge of the conventional wisdom. In 1957, the ubiquitous T.I. Moldovak constructed the first radio station and a number of radio receivers, founding the RCM (Radio Corporation of Marinetta), which quickly expanded into commercial radio and music recording.

1890 AD Energy

In ancient times, energy was provided by human and animal muscle power. Fuel was always scarce, bush sticks and dried sheep dung often had to suffice. In Greek fashion, windmills were built in the 15th century, for grinding of cereals and minerals. Some centuries later, windmills were used to power presses for olive oil and saws for stone cutting.

When the first steam-powered ship visited Rosario in 1890, it was greeted with the same derision and disbelief that beset Giuseppe Esto’s trials with a steam-driven mill in 1587. Soon, however, the native trading instincts took over, and during World War I Rosario was already busy importing coal from England and Russia, storing it and reselling it to passing naval and merchant vessels. The business idea was followed up by establishing an oil refueling depot on the island. Currently, there is a hotly debated scheme for a natural gas terminal in the port of Malgrande.

The present-day energy needs of the Rosarians are handled by Grupo La Energikompanio, using an eclectic mixture of sources. Natural gas is imported from Libya and Algeria, to fuel the electricity plant and provide cooking fuel in the built-up areas. Despite a number of experiments, the locally available volcanic malperigeno gas has not yet lent itself to domestic or industrial uses. Solar energy is used as a complementary source, by photoelectric panels on rooftops and balconies, and by steam generators heated by concentric reflective panels. An application is pending to erect six modern wind turbines on the windswept Tri Fili islets to the west of Rosario. While personal automobiles are kept to a minimum on the island, diesel fuel to power trucks, buses and fishing boats is imported from Libya, Egypt and Russia. Geothermal energy is used to heat houses and public baths along the slopes of the Grandego and Svantago mountains

1937 AD Film

The birth of the Rosarian film industry is well covered in Hike ni Esas, Tomo 2. Today, film making is a popular activity on the island. Due to the unusual local tastes, Rosarian films are still awaiting their international breakthrough.

Period VII 1957 - today: La Juntarita Insulo - The wired island

2000 AD Commerce

Trading and commerce pulsate in the veins of the Rosarian descendants of Phoenician and Venetian tradesmen. The widely spread lattice of globally positioned agents and traders, run from the hub of the Rosarian capital, has earned Marinetta the nickname ‘Hong Kong of the Mediterranean’. Rosarians have always been quick to exploit price anomalies, by lesser souls called ‘smuggling’. The exploits of Algoto Niscano will soon be made into a full-length movie, sponsored by the Granda Sanco Chamber of Commerce.

Education

La Kolegio Ilana, the University of Rosario, grew up around the nucleus of the Monastery of Blanka Stona. Currently, it is operating a thriving program on the B.Sc. and M.Sc. level. Its specialties are related to the service sectors: Banking, finance, insurance, shipping, logistics and tourism. Selected courses are also given in a distance learning format on the Internet.

2004 AD Trade balance, exports, imports

The census taken in July 2004 revealed an astonishing result. The actual population of the Rosario island turned out to be 189 140 persons, i.e. ten times larger than earlier figures indicated. It is believed that the previous numbers were understated by purpose, due in part to the natural modesty of the islanders, but also as their traditional response to nosy foreign tax officials, from Roman times onwards.

Self-reliance is the norm

The island economy is self-sufficient in basic foodstuffs, such as cereals, fish, olives and wine. These are locally branded and packaged by small family business, adhering to the ‘Microproductado’ principle. The best known is La Hundolakto Ko, the wine & beer firm owned by Miki & Tomo Svanko. Gonzales Ko and Boneti Ko are in the fruit and vegetable business. M Ko is a chain of small retail shops owned by Hana Svenson.

Local skilled tradesmen can be found for traditional tasks such as carpentry, bricklaying, joinery and boatbuilding. Local artisans are active as gold- and silversmiths, weavers, dyers, tailors and dressmakers.

Government, education, film and electronic media all provide their share of employment on the island. Artists and photographers have reached good earnings on an international scale.

Exports

The visible exports consist of choice foodstuffs, such as olive oil, wines, pickled fish, spices and salt. Locally made souvenirs, i.e. glassware, tableware, leather goods, jewelry and gems are sold to visiting tourists, and also exported. So are books and newspapers.

The island still lacks a major money-spinner with considerable bulk exports. High hopes are attached to the glass bottle plant currently being planned. The natural resources – sun, water, sand, rock, volcanic heat and gas – are still underutilized.

Imports

The island is dependent on imports for most of its raw materials, such as metals, plastics, textiles, lumber, paper and fuels. It also has to import manufactured goods, mainly vehicles, machinery, electrics and electronics. To pay for these imports has been a chronic headache for the authorities. Somehow, the island has muddled through, thanks to the modern and the grey economies. Recycling of used imported materials, mainly metals and papers, is increasing in importance.

The modern economy gives sizable employment in insurance, banking, shipping and commerce. The ‘Sardelopekunio’ investment strategy has brought considerable wealth to the islanders, and its earnings help to keep the income tax down to an astonishing 5 %. The Rosarian trading companies operating on a global reach send home a steady stream of trading profits. The tourism sector employs workers in hotels, restaurants, transport, boating and golfing. The seaport and airport are also important employers, earning currency from berthing and landing fees, and operating some repair, catering and cleaning businesses. Refueling and re-feeding passing ships is still a profitable business.

The offshore economy

Money also trickles in to the island through remittances from expatriates and seamen. The tax-haven status of the island attracts international businessmen, and the shipping register receives a steady stream of fees. Authorities tend to turn a blind eye to the smuggling, money-laundering and traffic in weapons and humans which do contribute positively, although not necessarily legally, to the island economy.

2005- A look at the future

What will the future bring to the island? A virtual campus with global reach? An internet-based gambling emporium? A Christian-Islamic cultural center? Membership in the European Union? Admittance to the Eurovision Song Contest? The Rosarians are survivors at heart, and have always adapted to change. The direction of change is for future Rosarian students to decide.

Updated on September 5, 2004, by Henry Ericsson.

References and endnotes

1. Johan Ludvig Runeberg, Idyll och Epigram, dikt 15, Högt bland Saarijärvis moar. Borgå, 1870. This is an attempt to link Finnish with Rosarian history, with our foreign students in mind.

2. Nicholas Monsarrat, The Kappillan of Malta, Cassell, 1973. This novel gives a fascinating account of scratching subsistence from a meager soil with minimal prey.

3. Tina Macoti & Owen Kelly, Hike Ni Esas, Tomo 1-3 (La Redaktaji Kolegio, Marinetta, Rosario, 2003. The potent beer episode was probably suggested by media students, and should add to their interest in reading.

4. Fernand Braudel, The Mediterranean and the Mediterranean World in the Age of Philip II, vols. I and II… (First published in 1949, fourth edition by Fontana Collins, 1981). A massive, scholarly but not unreadable treatise containing a wealth of detailed facts from hundreds of original sources.

5. Mari Belmo & Owen Kelly, La Solvo (La Redaktaji Kolegio, Marinetta, Rosario, 16th edition, 2002). This fact-based primer is a must for all first-time visitors to Rosario.

6. Homer, The Odyssey, abt. 750 B.C. Wordsworth Classics, Ware, 2002. The adventures of Odysseus are actively used by the Maltese tourist industry.

7. Sabatino Moscati (ed.), The Phoenicians, I.B. Tauris, London 2001. A good source for trading, glass making and jewelry.

8. T.K. Derry & Trevor I. Williams, A Short History of Technology, Oxford University Press, 1960. Useful general source. Mining, metals, glass making and textiles well covered.

9. Najafabadi, Naghmeh, Feasibility Study for a Glass Factory on Rosario, Unpublished thesis manuscript, Arcada Polytechnic, Helsinki 2004.

10. Lawrence Durrell, Reflections on a Marine Venus - A book about Rhodes, 1953. An amusing account of post-war Rhodes by a journalist and publisher.

11. Homer, The Iliad, abt. 760 B.C. The insurance statement is an attempt to make the classics less intimidating for students.

12. Balogun, Lanre, Fishing in Rosario Island, unpublished working paper, Arcada Polytechnic, Helsinki 2004.

13. Kurylova, Liza. The Lattice Trading Company – an introduction, unpublished working paper, Arcada Polytechnic, Helsinki 2004.

14. Balogun, Lanre, Proposal for the improvement of olive growing and processing on Rosario, internal memorandum for the Ministry of Agriculture, 2004.

15. Algot Niska, Mina äventyr, 1931, the memoirs of the legendary Finnish smuggler.

16. Franklin Wanzi Nganje, The Port of Blanka Stono, unpublished working paper, Arcada Polytechnic, 2004.

17. Martin Stopford, Maritime Economics, Routledge, London 1993. Useful presentation of vessel types and capacities.

18. Felista Ogor, Solar Power Applications for Nigeria, thesis for Arcada Polytechnic, 2002.