Chapter Peasant agency and peopling processes in Early Medieval Catalonia: Some thoughts and examples of rural landscape (5th – 9th centuries)

Abstract

The historical and archaeological approach to peopling processes, landscape articulation and social organization during the Early Middle Ages is a complex issue that requires an integrated management of written and material sources. Under Frankish rule, Catalonia was a border area developing its own inner strategies of settlement based upon agrarian expansion. Habitat structures and habitat nuclei show an evolution in parallel to the formation of Counties. Archaeological record of late villae, early medieval settlements presenting diverse features, and agrarian landscapes with silos are some examples which illustrate the impact of peasant agency on the landscape during this period. Examining material culture and the evolution of pottery in this area during the early medieval and medieval periods is also a valuable tool to understand the local and regional networks of peasant communities. This paper aims at offering an updated state of the art, together with some reflections about the methodological strategies used in order to explore the role of peasantry during this period in the Catalan area.