Economic rebound versus imperial monopoly: Metal provenance of Early Medieval coins (8th-11th centuries) from some Italian and French mints

This paper represents the first systematic Pb isotope investigation of Italian Medieval coins and aims to provide new parameters for a general historical interpretation of coin production and circulation in Medieval Europe. We collected more than one hundred specimens, minted in a period between 9th - 14th centuries AD and coming mostly from archaeological sites of Tuscany. Here we report the results on the oldest group of (44) coins, dated between the end of the 9th and 11th centuries. All coins where previously characterized with handheld X-ray fluorescence (pXRF) analysis and lead isotope composition (PbIC) was performed using an MC-ICP-Mass Spectrometer. The Carolingian coins have PbIC compatible with Melle silver district; the few Carolingian coins possibly minted in Italy (Venice and Milan) are also compatible with ore districts such as Melle and Harz Mountains. Coins in the names of Italian rulers (9th-10th century) from Lucca, Pavia and other uncertain mints show PbIC compatible with Melle, Black Forest and the Harz Mountains as well. A quite similar pattern applies to coins in the names of Otto I-III and Conrad II (10th-11th century) from Lucca and Pavia mints, although they show a better overlap with the Harz Mountains. The vast majority of early medieval coins issued by the Italian mints investigated in the present paper show isotope compositions that do not match with silver (lead-copper) mines from the Colline Metallifere district of southern Tuscany, notwithstanding their exploitation in the considered period is suggested by many settlements located near mining sites

Un monastero sul mare

The remains of the monastery of San Quirico stand on the slopes of Poggio Tondo, a hill not far from the ancient city of Populonia. They overlook the Tyrrhenian Sea, dotted with the islands of the Tuscan archipelago. Field research at this site, carried out in the first decade of the new millennium by two different teams, from Siena University and Venice’s Ca’ Foscari University, respectively, was part of ongoing efforts to expand the Baratti-Populonia Archeological Park, and to further explore the features present within it. This volume contains the results of this research work: a scientific publication of the excavation, and a critical analysis of the material found. Processing of the data collected during these investigations, together with a re-reading of written documentation, has made it possible to piece together the complex history of this important monastery, in a totally new narration. In this narration, the history of the monastery, and of the features which existed prior to it, are closely interwoven with the history of the promontory of Populonia and the surrounding area, ultimately producing a new overview which sets out the historical boundaries of this area, between Late Antiquity and the modern era.I resti del monastero di San Quirico si trovano sulle pendici del poggio Tondo, a poca distanza dall’antica città di Populonia, rivolti verso lo specchio del mare Tirreno costellato dalle isole dell’arcipelago toscano. Le ricerche archeologiche in questo sito, realizzate nel primo decennio del nuovo millennio da due differenti équipe, rispettivamente dell’Università di Siena e Ca’ Foscari di Venezia, si sono svolte nell’ambito degli interventi di ampliamento e di valorizzazione del parco archeologico di Baratti-Populonia. Questo volume contiene i risultati di quelle ricerche: l’edizione scientifica dello scavo e l’analisi critica dei materiali rinvenuti. La rielaborazione dei dati raccolti durante tali indagini, unita ad una rilettura della documentazione scritta, ha poi permesso di ricomporre le complesse vicende di questo importante monastero, in una nuova ed inedita narrazione. In tale narrazione le vicende del cenobio e delle sue preesistenze si intrecciano con quelle del promontorio di Populonia e dei territori limitrofi fino a delineare un quadro di sintesi che ridisegna i confini storici di questo territorio tra la Tarda Antichità e l’Età Moderna

Un monastero sul mare

The remains of the monastery of San Quirico stand on the slopes of Poggio Tondo, a hill not far from the ancient city of Populonia. They overlook the Tyrrhenian Sea, dotted with the islands of the Tuscan archipelago. Field research at this site, carried out in the first decade of the new millennium by two different teams, from Siena University and Venice’s Ca’ Foscari University, respectively, was part of ongoing efforts to expand the Baratti-Populonia Archeological Park, and to further explore the features present within it. This volume contains the results of this research work: a scientific publication of the excavation, and a critical analysis of the material found. Processing of the data collected during these investigations, together with a re-reading of written documentation, has made it possible to piece together the complex history of this important monastery, in a totally new narration. In this narration, the history of the monastery, and of the features which existed prior to it, are closely interwoven with the history of the promontory of Populonia and the surrounding area, ultimately producing a new overview which sets out the historical boundaries of this area, between Late Antiquity and the modern era

Les métaux précieux en Méditerranée médiévale

Cet ouvrage rassemble les actes d’un colloque international tenu à la Maison Méditerranéenne des Sciences de l’Homme d’Aix-en-Provence les 6, 7 et 8 octobre 2016. Organisée par le Laboratoire d’Archéologie Médiévale et Moderne en Méditerranée (CNRS, Aix-Marseille Université) et par le Dipartimento di Scienze Storiche e dei Beni Culturali de l’Université de Sienne, cette rencontre a réuni près de cinquante spécialistes du Moyen Âge – archéologues, historiens, géochimistes – autour des métaux précieux en Méditerranée. Ce livre entend examiner un long processus qui s’étend de l’extraction des minerais jusqu’à la diffusion des métaux, en articulant les techniques aux sociétés et aux pouvoirs. Le panorama des principaux lieux de la production, ici présenté sous forme de synthèses régionales, côtoie des études qui suivent les différentes phases de ce processus, de façon à confronter les sources, les approches et à faciliter les comparaisons. L’enquête se focalise enfin sur les circulations des métaux, en mettant en évidence les problèmes de sources et de méthodes que cela induit, tout en proposant des relectures historiographiques fondées sur les résultats de travaux récents. Pour la première fois, la Méditerranée médiévale fournit le cadre géographique d’une réflexion collective consacrée aux productions et circulations des métaux précieux. Au-delà du simple bilan de connaissances, ce livre entend finalement proposer quelques jalons pour une histoire comparée et connectée : l’approfondissement, puis la confrontation d’enquêtes monographiques et régionales offrent dans cette optique de fécondes perspectives pour les années à venir