Iron, Pottery, Quernstones: The Political Economy of Production and Trade in the European Middle Ages. 31st EAA Annual Meeting Session #233

Result code in IS VaVaI

<a href="https://www.isvavai.cz/riv?ss=detail&h=RIV%2F68081758%3A_____%2F25%3A00638647" target="_blank" >RIV/68081758:_____/25:00638647 - isvavai.cz</a>

Result on the web

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DOI - Digital Object Identifier

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Result language

angličtina

Original language name

Iron, Pottery, Quernstones: The Political Economy of Production and Trade in the European Middle Ages. 31st EAA Annual Meeting Session #233

Original language description

This session explores the political and economic relationships between elite and non-elite actors in Medieval Europe (500–1500 AD), focusing on the production, distribution, and consumption of both mundane goods and high-status valuables. Elites—such as monarchs, chiefs, and clergy—exerted significant influence on commodity flows through mechanisms such as land ownership, violent restrictions, and market bottlenecking, enabling them to shape both local economies and broader trade networks. Control over resources and labor allowed elites to sponsor production centres and regulate access to existential materials like iron, foodstuffs, salt and wood, while also ensuring that luxury items such as weapons and jewelry remained symbols of power and status. The impact of elite actors can be identified through archaeological and historical evidence indicating specialized production areas, elite-sponsored workshops, and controlled distribution channels. Elite-sponsored craftsmanship further illustrate how control over skilled labor was used to reinforce social hierarchies, as well as maintain economic and cultural dominance. Despite this, autonomy existed among non-elite producers and traders. Archaeological data, such as independent workshops and evidence of local exchange, suggest that artisans and merchants could operate independently, creating distribution systems outside elite oversight. These autonomous exchange activities reflect a negotiated space wherein non-elites could engage in both local and regional trade, contributing to a dynamic economy that extended beyond direct elite control. This session aims to contextualize these interactions and seeks to present recent interdisciplinary studies that can combine, for instance, archaeological, archaeometric, historical or economic anthropological studies to explore the dependencies and independencies in Medieval European economic systems. Through this approach, we seek to deepen the understanding of how elite influences intersected with the agency of producers and traders, thereby shaping the distribution and accessibility of both mundane commidities and valuables.

Czech name

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Czech description

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Type

M - Conference organization

CEP classification

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OECD FORD branch

60102 - Archaeology

Project

<a href="/en/project/GX25-15764X" target="_blank" >GX25-15764X: Frontiers and Empires. The Case of Moymirid Moravia</a><br>

Continuities

I - Institucionalni podpora na dlouhodoby koncepcni rozvoj vyzkumne organizace

Publication year

2025

Confidentiality

S - Úplné a pravdivé údaje o projektu nepodléhají ochraně podle zvláštních právních předpisů

Event location

Belgrade - Online

Event country

RS - THE REPUBLIC OF SERBIA

Event starting date

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Event ending date

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Total number of attendees

6

Foreign attendee count

4

Type of event by attendee nationality

EUR - Evropská akce