Archaeological researches of the last 40 years in Campania have shown the transformation dynamics of the rural settlements between Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages. The crisis of Roman villas, the reconfiguration of rural spaces, and the birth of castles represent some of the critical stages through which we can observe the transformation of the rural areas after the end of the ancient age. In addition to issues related to the organization of space, the archaeological approach to these problems has also provided some contribution to the economic history of these centuries through the analysis of the diffusion and circulation of ceramic products, significant indicators of the production network and of the spread of the markets. In this regard, the study of ceramics (both for the table and for everyday use) has demonstrated how pottery production and diffusion networks tended to contract and collapse in Campania from the end of the 6th century, after the Greek – Gothic war. The only areas that did not seem to be affected by this phenomenon seem to be the coastal zones (Naples, Miseno), characterized by productive activities and interchange that even in the early Middle Ages did not appear to collapse altogether. The framework is not so different from what happened in the rest of southern Italy. A new economic and commercial recovery is perceptible from the end of the 11th to the early 12th century, when the new Norman kingdom, which will included much of southern Italy, favoured these conditions, giving political stability to the whole sector.
Rural settlement and economy in Campania (South Italy) between Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages
busino
Project Administration
2019
Abstract
Archaeological researches of the last 40 years in Campania have shown the transformation dynamics of the rural settlements between Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages. The crisis of Roman villas, the reconfiguration of rural spaces, and the birth of castles represent some of the critical stages through which we can observe the transformation of the rural areas after the end of the ancient age. In addition to issues related to the organization of space, the archaeological approach to these problems has also provided some contribution to the economic history of these centuries through the analysis of the diffusion and circulation of ceramic products, significant indicators of the production network and of the spread of the markets. In this regard, the study of ceramics (both for the table and for everyday use) has demonstrated how pottery production and diffusion networks tended to contract and collapse in Campania from the end of the 6th century, after the Greek – Gothic war. The only areas that did not seem to be affected by this phenomenon seem to be the coastal zones (Naples, Miseno), characterized by productive activities and interchange that even in the early Middle Ages did not appear to collapse altogether. The framework is not so different from what happened in the rest of southern Italy. A new economic and commercial recovery is perceptible from the end of the 11th to the early 12th century, when the new Norman kingdom, which will included much of southern Italy, favoured these conditions, giving political stability to the whole sector.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
