With the measure you use you will be measured back… Late Roman and Early Medieval Peasants in Central Spain on Examination
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Alfonso Vigil-Escalera Guirado
Abstract
The aftermath of the Roman empire was a period of stark socio-political, economic and ideological transformation. It led to a substantial reconfiguration of the earlier rural landscapes and to radical changes affecting the daily experiences of the people who lived in the countryside. Recent historiographical approaches to the archaeological assessment of early medieval peasantry are attempting to narrow down the indicators that are most apt for identifying the presence and actions of peasant households and communities based on the available evidence. In this text we will reflect on some of those traces and especially on the shadowy areas that lie between the material signatures and the interpretations commonly made of them. We will assess the criteria by which certain archaeological contexts can be characterized as the footprint and product of peasant activity, while the material culture of the Late Roman and Early Medieval periods will be compared and contrasted with roughly similar parameters.
Abstract
The aftermath of the Roman empire was a period of stark socio-political, economic and ideological transformation. It led to a substantial reconfiguration of the earlier rural landscapes and to radical changes affecting the daily experiences of the people who lived in the countryside. Recent historiographical approaches to the archaeological assessment of early medieval peasantry are attempting to narrow down the indicators that are most apt for identifying the presence and actions of peasant households and communities based on the available evidence. In this text we will reflect on some of those traces and especially on the shadowy areas that lie between the material signatures and the interpretations commonly made of them. We will assess the criteria by which certain archaeological contexts can be characterized as the footprint and product of peasant activity, while the material culture of the Late Roman and Early Medieval periods will be compared and contrasted with roughly similar parameters.
Kapitel in diesem Buch
- Frontmatter I
- Acknowledgments V
- Contents VII
- Introduction 1
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Part I: From Traditional to New Approaches: Methodological Insights
- Early Imperial Roman Peasant Communities in Central Spain: Agrarian Structure, Standards of Living, and Inequality in the North of Roman Carpetania 23
- Perceiving the Countryside: Some Thoughts on the Representation of Agrarian Cycles and Tasks in the Mosaics of Roman Spain 49
- Investigating Livestock Practices in the Countryside of Roman Spain: An Archaeozoological Approach 71
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Part II: Beyond Villascapes: Peasants in Landscapes
- A Peasant Landscape in the Eastern Roman Spain. An Archaeological Approach to Territorial Organization and Economic Models 91
- Exploring the Complexity of Roman Agrarian Landscapes. State of the Art and a Study Case from the Southwestern Iberian Peninsula 111
- Roman Peasantry, Spatial Archaeology, and Off-site Survey in Hispania 143
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Part III: Comparing Villae and Peasants Habitats in Settlement Systems
- On the Margins of the Villa System? Rural Architecture and Socioeconomic Strategies in North-Eastern Roman Spain 169
- Villae and Farms: Early Imperial Rural Settlement in the Adaja-Eresma Basin (Central Roman Spain) 201
- With the measure you use you will be measured back… Late Roman and Early Medieval Peasants in Central Spain on Examination 229
- From Villa to Village? Relational Approaches within Roman and Medieval Iberian Rural Societies 253
- Conclusions 277
- List of Contributors 285
- List of Figures 291
- Index 295
Kapitel in diesem Buch
- Frontmatter I
- Acknowledgments V
- Contents VII
- Introduction 1
-
Part I: From Traditional to New Approaches: Methodological Insights
- Early Imperial Roman Peasant Communities in Central Spain: Agrarian Structure, Standards of Living, and Inequality in the North of Roman Carpetania 23
- Perceiving the Countryside: Some Thoughts on the Representation of Agrarian Cycles and Tasks in the Mosaics of Roman Spain 49
- Investigating Livestock Practices in the Countryside of Roman Spain: An Archaeozoological Approach 71
-
Part II: Beyond Villascapes: Peasants in Landscapes
- A Peasant Landscape in the Eastern Roman Spain. An Archaeological Approach to Territorial Organization and Economic Models 91
- Exploring the Complexity of Roman Agrarian Landscapes. State of the Art and a Study Case from the Southwestern Iberian Peninsula 111
- Roman Peasantry, Spatial Archaeology, and Off-site Survey in Hispania 143
-
Part III: Comparing Villae and Peasants Habitats in Settlement Systems
- On the Margins of the Villa System? Rural Architecture and Socioeconomic Strategies in North-Eastern Roman Spain 169
- Villae and Farms: Early Imperial Rural Settlement in the Adaja-Eresma Basin (Central Roman Spain) 201
- With the measure you use you will be measured back… Late Roman and Early Medieval Peasants in Central Spain on Examination 229
- From Villa to Village? Relational Approaches within Roman and Medieval Iberian Rural Societies 253
- Conclusions 277
- List of Contributors 285
- List of Figures 291
- Index 295
