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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
Dan Haygarth

Researchers uncover truth of British Empire’s trade routes with centuries-old shopping records

A Southampton Port Book from 1747 - (University of Southampton)

A first-of-its-kind map, using data from centuries-old port records, shows how Britain’s growth into a dominant global trading nation was built on European trade.

Experts from the University of Southampton used artificial intelligence (AI) to extract information from handwritten ‘port books’ into a database of Britain’s merchant shipping past.

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