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
Chapter Title
Considering peasant agency in the Early Middle Ages. A diachronic analysis of the archaeological record in Central Portugal
Authors
Catarina Tente, Sara Prata
Language
English
DOI
10.36253/979-12-215-0562-7.05
Peer Reviewed
Publication Year
2024
Copyright Information
© 2024 Author(s)
Content License
Metadata License
Book Title
Local Societies and Peasantry Agencies in Medieval Iberia
Editors
Juan Antonio Quirós Castillo
Peer Reviewed
Number of Pages
304
Publication Year
2024
Copyright Information
© 2024 Author(s)
Content License
Metadata License
Publisher Name
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
Series Title
Reti Medievali E-Book
Series ISSN
2704-6362
Series E-ISSN
2704-6079