Can we write a meaningful history of land prices during the early and central Middle Ages? Ac-cording to a line of research inspired by economic anthropology, the answer would be no: land primarily served to construct networks of alliance and cannot be regarded as a mere commod-ity. Nevertheless, several classic studies have used price fluctuations as tools for periodisation – sometimes, in fact, as markers of profound social and economic changes. Yet this raises a fur-ther problem: scholars have not always attributed the same importance to monetary dynamics as factors capable of influencing prices. This article reviews the existing historiography on these issues with reference to northern and central Italy; its concluding remarks focus on a specific aspect of price analysis, namely exchange rates.
Chapter Title
Land price trends as markers of economic cycles? Inflation, debasement and exchange rates in the central Middle Ages
Authors
Language
English
DOI
10.36253/979-12-215-1076-8.26
Peer Reviewed
Publication Year
2026
Copyright Information
© 2026 Author(s)
Content License
Metadata License
Book Title
In Search of the High Middle Ages. Change and Continuity in 11th–12th-century Italy
Editors
Alberto Cotza, Giuseppe Petralia
Peer Reviewed
Number of Pages
560
Publication Year
2026
Copyright Information
© 2026 Author(s)
Content License
Metadata License
Publisher Name
Firenze University Press
DOI
10.36253/979-12-215-1076-8
ISBN Print
979-12-215-1075-1
eISBN (pdf)
979-12-215-1076-8
eISBN (xml)
979-12-215-1078-2
Series Title
Reti Medievali E-Book
Series ISSN
2704-6362
Series E-ISSN
2704-6079