Environmental archaeology of cultural change in the medieval mediterranean
Résumé
The medieval Mediterranean world was defined by multiple waves of conquest and regime change, accompanied by migration and variable encounters with resident populations, resulting in marked episodes of cultural transformation. These are widely recognised as composite or hybrid societies, accommodating varying degrees of multiculturalism, even where secular and religious authorities strove for cultural homogeneity. Alongside the written record, the composite nature of these societies has been traditionally understood through monumental architecture, applied art and a range of portable material culture. Environmental and landscape archaeology also includes a powerful set of methodological tools that can potentially be used to understand the pluralist character of these societies at varying scales. This includes how plants, animals and landscapes were utilised before and after periods of conquest, within the shifting mosaic of heartland and frontier regions. Are the effects of political, territorial, demographic, and ideological reorganisation visible in these multi-scalar traces of environmental exploitation? Can we interpret trends in continuity and change in relation to the varied encounters between migrant and resident populations? Drawing on case studies from the “Landscapes of (Re)Conquest” project and related research, this paper will consider whether we can use environmental and landscape data to understand the impact of conquest, migration and cultural change across the medieval Mediterranean world.