Change and continuity in rural Early Medieval Hispania: Comparative multidisciplinary approach to the countrysides of Egitania (Idanha-a-Velha, Portugal) and Emerita (Mérida, Spain)

The purpose of this paper is to present the research project Change and continuity in rural early medieval Hispania. Comparative multidisciplinary approach to the countrysides of Egitania (Idanha-a-Velha, Portugal) and Emerita (Mérida, Spain).1 The working hypothesis that we propose as the basis of our research is the product of work carried out in the Emerita territory, and argues that the early medieval countryside was organised in a complex system of settlements that varied from one region to another in the Iberian Peninsula. In this way, the project aims to compare the change and continuity of the Emerita countryside between the 4th and 8th centuries with the Egitania territory in the same period. The lands lie within the heart of the old Roman Lusitania. One of our main research lines focuses on the analysis of the social and economic complexity of rural communities in these cities. In addition, we also want to create reference models for future research.