Constructing peasant landscapes in the Early Middle Ages. Reflections on domestic spaces, funerary areas, and productions systems in western Iberia

Abstract

The post-Roman centuries led to deep changes for peasant communities in the countryside. The past ten years of research on Portuguese inland territories has yielded new insights into this previously elusive period. This paper focuses mainly on archaeological data gathered from Castelo de Vide, a territory of Alto Alentejo (Central Portugal). Our findings combine evidence from different research methods and scales of assessment. These include field-surveys, spatial analysis, excavations, material culture, and radiocarbon dating, along with a critical review of grey literature from previous works in the region. Looking into the contexts of individual settlements allows us to explore social construction and detect patterns for broader socio-economical practices, which will be the focus of this paper.