This paper analyses archaeological data on early medieval rural communities through the lens of peasant agency. Over the last 15 years systematic research has been carried out in different territories of the Portuguese inland, mainly in the centre-north of the country. Here we will be focusing on the areas for which we currently have more detailed evidence, Alto Alentejo and Beira Alta, and consider a broad chronological frame, between the 5th and the 11th centuries. However, the information available for the two territories is uneven, and it is not yet possible to offer a continuous chronological sequence in either of these areas. For this reason, we will analyse the available data collectively and from a comparative perspective. In both cases we will start by considering the new rural settlement networks that emerged from the 5th century onwards. Evidence of peasant communities in Alto Alentejo is clearer for the 6th/7th centuries, and in Beira Alta for the 10th/11th. Both are critical moments in the political sphere, coinciding with the emergence and affirmation of new administrative structures, but also necessary power vacuums where local powers emerge. By comparing the material record of peasant groups, we will reassess agricultural production, management of natural resources, artefact production, trade networks, and funerary areas, as arenas to discuss the notion of peasant agency.
Nova University of Lisbon, Portugal - ORCID: 0000-0002-7944-1583
Nova University of Lisbon, Portugal - ORCID: 0000-0002-5205-7522
Titolo del capitolo
Considering peasant agency in the Early Middle Ages. A diachronic analysis of the archaeological record in Central Portugal
Autori
Catarina Tente, Sara Prata
Lingua
Inglese
DOI
10.36253/979-12-215-0562-7.05
Opera sottoposta a peer review
Anno di pubblicazione
2024
Copyright
© 2024 Author(s)
Licenza d'uso
Licenza dei metadati
Titolo del libro
Local Societies and Peasantry Agencies in Medieval Iberia
Curatori
Juan Antonio Quirós Castillo
Opera sottoposta a peer review
Numero di pagine
304
Anno di pubblicazione
2024
Copyright
© 2024 Author(s)
Licenza d'uso
Licenza dei metadati
Editore
Firenze University Press
DOI
10.36253/979-12-215-0562-7
ISBN Print
979-12-215-0561-0
eISBN (pdf)
979-12-215-0562-7
eISBN (xml)
979-12-215-0564-1
Collana
Reti Medievali E-Book
ISSN della collana
2704-6362
e-ISSN della collana
2704-6079