The study of the history and technology of gunpowder, and its national and international significance in civil and military life, has been rescued from neglect by the sessions held over the years under the auspices of ICOHTEC. This is a bold claim but since our first meeting at the 22nd Symposium in Bath in 1994 much has been achieved: an informal fellowship of gunpowder historians has been established, two well-reviewed books have been published; individual scholars have had their work published by appropriate journals, and debates have been sparked that still continue, especially in the matter of saltpetre. None of this could have been achieved without the support of ICOHTEC. This began at the 1989 Symposium in Hamburg, with the helpful response to my request to be put in touch with anyone interested in this subject. The pursuit of these and other links, especially those with Chinese, Russian and French scholars made through meetings of the International Union, led to the building up the network of gunpowder historians who were to meet for the first time in 1994. Two years later GUNPOWDER. THE HISTORY OF AN INTERNATIONAL TECHNOLOGY (Bath University Press, 1996, reprinted 2006) was published, its twenty four chapters drawn from papers presented by authors from thirteen countries. Our second publication, GUNPOWDER, EXPLOSIVES AND THE STATE. A TECHNOLOGICAL HISTORY (Ashgate, 2006), shows the scope of more recent research, set in the context of seeing the securing of gunpowder supplies as fundamental to the power of the state and imperial pretensions.

The development of this subject over the years has demonstrated the strengths of ICOHTEC. These may be defined as: continuity, made evident by these 40th birthday celebrations; authenticity, as invitations which might otherwise be viewed with suspicion are accepted; inclusivity, a willingness to provide a home for new studies, especially those that may be unacceptable elsewhere; flexibility, as in the natural course of the life histories of informal bodies such as our gunpowder group, it now seems appropriate to meet within the newer Social History of Military Technology sessions, for which we thanks its convenor; mobility, as our peripatetic society has met in fascinating places, enabling us to investigate significant gunpowder works such as those at Barcarena near Lisbon; and sociability, as our symposia have over the years uplifted not only the mind but also the spirit.