Publication details
Elites – ploughshares – swords: assessing the top-down impact on the iron economy in the early medieval European West and East
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| Year of publication | 2026 |
| Type | Appeared in Conference without Proceedings |
| Citation | |
| Description | Iron was a key resource in the political economy of the younger Early Middle Ages (c. 700–1000 AD), fundamentally shaping access, consumption, and distribution within increasingly stratified societies. With the consolidation of major political entities such as the Carolingian or Great Moravian Empire, iron became central not only to technological production but also to the articulation of power and hierarchy. Contrary to earlier scholarship, archaeological evidence points to a diverse and dynamic system of iron production and distribution. While often carried out by largely self-sufficient smiths at local and regional levels, these activities were embedded in broader political-economic frameworks, particularly under manorial and elite-controlled structures. Iron production, based primarily on local ore deposits, was essential for weaponry, agricultural tools, and infrastructure, directly mediating relations between elites and non-elites. This presentation introduces the research field of early medieval ironworking in Western and Eastern Europe, focusing on smelting and smithing loci as part of wider socio-economic systems. Rather than treating ironworking as an economically self-evident or marginal activity, it highlights the fragmented and heterogeneous nature of the evidence. A clearer understanding requires a multi-proxy approach, integrating archaeological features, macro- and micro-remains, archaeometric analyses, and palaeo-environmental data (including anthracological, palynological, and geoarchaeological studies), examined through a comparative and deductive framework. By embedding the technical chaîne opératoire and human-landscape interactions within a broader political economy, the paper emphasizes the variability of production sites and conditions. Iron was not a peripheral craft but a structurally significant resource, deeply integrated into both rural production systems and elite-driven economic strategies in the Early Medieval world. |
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