Chapter Village formation and peasantry agency. The case study of Gorliz (Bizkaia)

Abstract

The study of medieval village formation has generated an intense debate throughout Europe regarding the construction of agricultural landscapes, the initiative of the elites, the weight of the lordships or the importance of the peasantry. To evaluate this task, we will become the analysis of the Early Medieval archaeological contexts documented in the town of Gorliz (Biscay, Spain), where early medieval villages appear as true elements gestated from the peasantry in dialogue with different central and local powers. Also we focus on the need to carry out archaeological and historical analysis with a multifocal perspective, so we can overcome the limitations of unilateral approaches, due to a global and holistic strategy