DOI: 10.36253/979-12-215-1076-8.20 ISSN: 2704-6362

Mediterranean economies compared through archaeology (10th-12th centuries)

Alessandra Molinari
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This article offers a comparative reassessment of Mediterranean economies between the 10th and 12th centuries through an archaeological perspective, with particular attention to Italy and the Islamic regions of the central Mediterranean (Egypt, Sicily, and Tunisia). The analysis of chaînes opératoires, exchange networks, and technological innovations in both craft and ag-ricultural sectors makes it possible to assess more accurately the levels of specialisation and economic complexity of the different areas. Archaeological evidence confirms the strong vitality of Islamic economies, especially in terms of their capacity for innovation and the complexity of their internal distribution networks, while showing a later role for central-northern Italy in processes of growth. Engaging with recent historiographical debates, the article argues that medieval economic development was largely driven by regional dynamics and domestic mar-kets, but suggests rethinking the significance of interregional exchanges primarily as vehicles for the circulation of knowledge, techniques, and cultural models.

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