Agricultural Landscapes of Al-andalus, and the Aftermath of the Feudal Conquest (The Medieval Countryside, 22)

This book is a compilation a series of significant, recent research on agricultural systems in al-Andalus, undertaken from an archaeological perspective, with particular reference to irrigated and drained areas, dry agriculture field systems, and pasturelands. This volume presents recent archaeological research on the agriculture and society of al-Andalus during the Middle Ages, especially from the perspective of 'hydraulic archaeology' -- an avenue of research developed by Spanish researchers which focuses on the analysis of irrigation systems created by Islamic colonists from the eighth century onwards. More recently, this research perspective has incorporated the analysis of other agricultural systems, such as dryland agriculture and pasturelands. All of these agricultural regimes are complementary in peasant-led subsistence agricultural systems. From a methodological perspective, this archaeological approach is highly innovative, and uses a wide range of techniques (aerial photography, cartographical analysis, field survey, archival research, and archaeological excavation) in order to outline the size and boundaries of cultivation and grazing areas, to define specific plots of land and the related road networks, and to identify other associated facilities, such as watermills. In connection with these topics, several issues are discussed: the earmarking of rural or urban farming areas for irrigation, draining, or dryland agriculture; the process of construction and the subsequent evolution of these farming areas; the transformations undergone by these areas after the feudal conquest; and, finally, the identification of pasturelands and the analysis of the evidence concerning their management This book is a compilation a series of significant, recent research on agricultural systems in al-Andalus, undertaken from an archaeological perspective, with particular reference to irrigated and drained areas, dry agriculture field systems, and pasturelands.00This volume presents recent archaeological research on the agriculture and society of al-Andalus during the Middle Ages, especially from the perspective of ?hydraulic archaeology? - an avenue of research developed by Spanish researchers which focuses on the analysis of irrigation systems created by Islamic colonists from the eighth century onwards. More recently, this research perspective has incorporated the analysis of other agricultural systems, such as dryland agriculture and pasturelands. All of these agricultural regimes are complementary in peasant-led subsistence agricultural systems. From a methodological perspective, this archaeological approach is highly innovative, and uses a wide range of techniques (aerial photography, cartographical analysis, field survey, archival research, and archaeological excavation) in order to outline the size and boundaries of cultivation and grazing areas, to define specific plots of land and the related road networks, and to identify other associated facilities, such as watermills.00In connection with these topics, several issues are discussed: the earmarking of rural or urban farming areas for irrigation, draining, or dryland agriculture; the process of construction and the subsequent evolution of these farming areas; the transformations undergone by these areas after the feudal conquest; and, finally, the identification of pasturelands and the analysis of the evidence concerning their management Front Matter 1 Helena Kirchner. Introduction 11 Eugènia Sitjes. Agrarian Spaces and the Network of Andalusi Settlements of Manacor (Mallorca) 31 Antoni Ferrer and Helena Kirchner. Watermills on Ibiza (Balearic Islands) 65 Enric Guinot Rodríguez. Morphology of Irrigated Spaces in Late Medieval Mudejar Settlements 97 Ferran Esquilache. Searching for the Origin 127 Helena Kirchner, Antoni Virgili, and Arnald Puy. Drainage and Irrigation Systems in Madīna Ṭurṭūša (Tortosa, Spain) (Eighth–Twelfth Centuries) 153 Félix Retamero. On Dry Farming in Al-Andalus 175 Josep Torró. On the Problem of Andalusi Dry Farming 195 Jesús Brufal. Deciphering the Islamic Landscape in the Eastern Ebro Valley 237 Antonio Malpica Cuello , Sonia Villar Mañas, and Guillermo García-Contreras Ruiz. Irrigated Pasturelands in Mountain Ranges in the South-East of the Iberian Peninsula 257 Back Matter 279