Farming and local economy in the early medieval countryside (Castelo de Vide, Portugal)

Our research on archaeological evidence from early medieval rural contexts from the territory of Castelo de Vide (Alentejo, Portugal) has been carried out from 2014 onwards, analysing data from surface field surveys, test-pits, excavations, and material culture. Our findings revealed that following the progressive transformations documented in former elite Roman estates (abandonment and/or reuse) that occurred throughout the 5th century, a new rural settlement pattern emerges in the countryside during the 6th and 7th centuries. By comparing data from settlement layout, architectural features, pottery production, and agricultural practices, we propose a change in the scale of production and the co-existence of three complementary production levels, shedding light into the different ways in which the post-Roman countryside might be organized.