Oil and wine in early medieval rural settlements from castelo de vide (Alentejo, portugal): Dating, context, and scale of production

This paper analyses the significance of olive oil and wine production in the post-Roman countryside by focusing on recent data obtained in the area of Castelo de Vide, in central Portugal. The research carried out consisted of excavations, surface field surveys, material culture analyses, and a critical overview of previous work conducted in the region. The available data suggest a shift from a centralized Roman production model, based on medium-size villae, to a countryside shaped by a network of small farmsteads. As production scale changed, new buildings – with smaller, more manageable lever-and-screw presses – were built to accommodate the new production model, while some of the larger presses documented in the villas were abandoned. This shift in scale is also perceptible in several different aspects of the early medieval peasant landscape. However, the fact that several new presses were being built and used during this period points to a demand for transformed products (most likely olive oil, but also wine), that exceeds the local needs of this specific territory. This in turn indicates a surplus production that was likely intended for supra-local trade, implying the integration of these peasant communities into broader scales of power.