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Rethinking ruralization in terms of resilience: Subsistence strategies in sixth-century Caricin Grad in the light of plant and animal bone finds

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2019
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Authors
Baron, Henriette
Reuter, Anna Elena
Marković, Nemanja
Article (Published version)
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Abstract
The modes of subsistence of the early Byzantine inhabitants of the Balkans are subject to intense discussion. The core of the problem is the lack of sites of a clearly discernible agricultural character after the collapse of the villa system in late Antiquity and the question of how to interpret certain changes in the architecture and layout of fortified sites that indicate ruralization. Even though animal bones and plant remains are strong indicators for economical strategies, only few sites of the region have so far been put to bioarchaeological analysis. Recent research in the early Byzantine city of Caricin Grad in Illyricum has produced new evidence for subsistence economies that sheds some light on the "rural" side of this splendid city, which was newly built in the foothills of southern Serbia in the fourth decade of the sixth century. The city comprises many features of classical urbanity and a large number of churches. Yet very modest dwellings were also found, as were several... agricultural implements. In this paper, preliminary results from the archaeobotanical and zooarchaeological analyses carried out in Caricin Grad are presented and situated in the context of published assemblages from other contemporaneous sites in the Danube provinces. Whereas the "ruralization" of early Byzantine cities is commonly seen as a symptom of the decline of classical urbanity, this discussion of the findings aims for a positive interpretation, in which the ruralization of urban life can instead be seen as a clever strategy to enhance urban food security.

Keywords:
Zooarchaeology / Ruralization / Resilience / Early Byzantine period / Balkans / Archaeobotany
Source:
Quaternary International, 2019, 499, 112-128
Publisher:
  • Elsevier Ltd, Oxford
Funding / projects:
  • Leibniz-Gemeinschaft
  • Urbanisation Processes and Development of Mediaeval Society (RS-177021)

DOI: 10.1016/j.quaint.2018.02.031

ISSN: 1040-6182

WoS: 000458765600010

Scopus: 2-s2.0-85042681495
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10
URI
http://rai.ai.ac.rs/handle/123456789/318
Collections
  • Radovi istraživača / Researchers’ publications
Institution/Community
Археолошки институт / Institute of Archaeology
TY  - JOUR
AU  - Baron, Henriette
AU  - Reuter, Anna Elena
AU  - Marković, Nemanja
PY  - 2019
UR  - http://rai.ai.ac.rs/handle/123456789/318
AB  - The modes of subsistence of the early Byzantine inhabitants of the Balkans are subject to intense discussion. The core of the problem is the lack of sites of a clearly discernible agricultural character after the collapse of the villa system in late Antiquity and the question of how to interpret certain changes in the architecture and layout of fortified sites that indicate ruralization. Even though animal bones and plant remains are strong indicators for economical strategies, only few sites of the region have so far been put to bioarchaeological analysis. Recent research in the early Byzantine city of Caricin Grad in Illyricum has produced new evidence for subsistence economies that sheds some light on the "rural" side of this splendid city, which was newly built in the foothills of southern Serbia in the fourth decade of the sixth century. The city comprises many features of classical urbanity and a large number of churches. Yet very modest dwellings were also found, as were several agricultural implements. In this paper, preliminary results from the archaeobotanical and zooarchaeological analyses carried out in Caricin Grad are presented and situated in the context of published assemblages from other contemporaneous sites in the Danube provinces. Whereas the "ruralization" of early Byzantine cities is commonly seen as a symptom of the decline of classical urbanity, this discussion of the findings aims for a positive interpretation, in which the ruralization of urban life can instead be seen as a clever strategy to enhance urban food security.
PB  - Elsevier Ltd, Oxford
T2  - Quaternary International
T1  - Rethinking ruralization in terms of resilience: Subsistence strategies in sixth-century Caricin Grad in the light of plant and animal bone finds
EP  - 128
SP  - 112
VL  - 499
DO  - 10.1016/j.quaint.2018.02.031
ER  - 
@article{
author = "Baron, Henriette and Reuter, Anna Elena and Marković, Nemanja",
year = "2019",
abstract = "The modes of subsistence of the early Byzantine inhabitants of the Balkans are subject to intense discussion. The core of the problem is the lack of sites of a clearly discernible agricultural character after the collapse of the villa system in late Antiquity and the question of how to interpret certain changes in the architecture and layout of fortified sites that indicate ruralization. Even though animal bones and plant remains are strong indicators for economical strategies, only few sites of the region have so far been put to bioarchaeological analysis. Recent research in the early Byzantine city of Caricin Grad in Illyricum has produced new evidence for subsistence economies that sheds some light on the "rural" side of this splendid city, which was newly built in the foothills of southern Serbia in the fourth decade of the sixth century. The city comprises many features of classical urbanity and a large number of churches. Yet very modest dwellings were also found, as were several agricultural implements. In this paper, preliminary results from the archaeobotanical and zooarchaeological analyses carried out in Caricin Grad are presented and situated in the context of published assemblages from other contemporaneous sites in the Danube provinces. Whereas the "ruralization" of early Byzantine cities is commonly seen as a symptom of the decline of classical urbanity, this discussion of the findings aims for a positive interpretation, in which the ruralization of urban life can instead be seen as a clever strategy to enhance urban food security.",
publisher = "Elsevier Ltd, Oxford",
journal = "Quaternary International",
title = "Rethinking ruralization in terms of resilience: Subsistence strategies in sixth-century Caricin Grad in the light of plant and animal bone finds",
pages = "128-112",
volume = "499",
doi = "10.1016/j.quaint.2018.02.031"
}
Baron, H., Reuter, A. E.,& Marković, N.. (2019). Rethinking ruralization in terms of resilience: Subsistence strategies in sixth-century Caricin Grad in the light of plant and animal bone finds. in Quaternary International
Elsevier Ltd, Oxford., 499, 112-128.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quaint.2018.02.031
Baron H, Reuter AE, Marković N. Rethinking ruralization in terms of resilience: Subsistence strategies in sixth-century Caricin Grad in the light of plant and animal bone finds. in Quaternary International. 2019;499:112-128.
doi:10.1016/j.quaint.2018.02.031 .
Baron, Henriette, Reuter, Anna Elena, Marković, Nemanja, "Rethinking ruralization in terms of resilience: Subsistence strategies in sixth-century Caricin Grad in the light of plant and animal bone finds" in Quaternary International, 499 (2019):112-128,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quaint.2018.02.031 . .

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