Societies, environments, and resources in
the western Mediterranean : the
contribution from history and
archaeology
Aline Durand
MISTRALS MALTA 2011
HOMERE
Mediterranean Institute of Humanities and Social Sciences
Aix-en-Provence
Medieval Mediterranean Archaeology Laboratory UMR 6572 CNRS-Aix-Marseille I University
Cliché Y. Arthus-Bertrand
For a long time For a long time landscapelandscape, and , and especiallyespecially
the «the « incultumincultum » part, » part, currentlycurrently
consideredconsidered
as as motionlessmotionless, , typicallytypically or or traditionnaltraditionnal
AnthropomorphicAnthropomorphic conception of conception of HumanitiesHumanities
Environnement = an invariant of rural Environnement = an invariant of rural
societiessocieties and Nature and Nature isis onlyonly a a naturalnatural spacespace
no no historyhistory and no culture and no culture atat allall
CHANGE OF PARADIGMCHANGE OF PARADIGM
•• birth of field archaeology and «birth of field archaeology and « incultumincultum » »
space by using mechanical machinesspace by using mechanical machines
•• new definition of archaeological sitenew definition of archaeological site
•• ecofact recognized as plenary ecofact recognized as plenary
archaeological and historical remains archaeological and historical remains
which can help to write an history of which can help to write an history of
practices and technical gesturespractices and technical gestures
•• TAKE OFF OF RESCUE ARCHAEOLOGYTAKE OFF OF RESCUE ARCHAEOLOGY
•• USE OF BIOLOGICAL TOOLSUSE OF BIOLOGICAL TOOLS
•• QUESTIONS FROM CONTEMPORARY SOCIETYQUESTIONS FROM CONTEMPORARY SOCIETY
19901990--20002000
InterdisciplinaryInterdisciplinary practices to practices to studystudyhistoryhistory of of relationshipsrelationships betweenbetween
societiessocieties and environnementand environnement
Cross-reading of different type of sources
-- written sourceswritten sources-- iconographic documentsiconographic documents-- archaeological resultsarchaeological results-- bioarchaeological databioarchaeological data-- current observationscurrent observations
-- ethnoarchaeologyethnoarchaeology-- geographygeography
Methodological changes
• formation of sources very different with their own space and timereferences ; limited corpus of written sources (no reproducibility)
the complementarity does not exist
• different manners to register in time : each source has her own timetime of materialsocial timeenvironnemental time
• Integrated protocol with change of paradigm. The framework isestablished at the end, when the framework, the acculturation of scientificpratices and the agreement on aims is real, not at the beginning ascommon in each science
integrated space and time scalesnodes of blocking
A. D. Bouches-Rhône B 1847 Compte de clavaire Draguignan, 1351, f°55v Chateaudouble. Cl. S. Burri
• heavy work to built referred data with new protocols of analyzes and tocriticism sources.
New New themesthemes of of researchresearch
•• History and archaeology of «History and archaeology of « incultumincultum », and », and
ecological resources management ecological resources management
•• History and archaeology of fields and agrarian practicesHistory and archaeology of fields and agrarian practices
•• Ecological history, bioarchaeology or palaeoenvironmentEcological history, bioarchaeology or palaeoenvironment
•• Anthropological and ethnoarchaeological approachesAnthropological and ethnoarchaeological approaches
Cliché Y. Arthus-Bertrand
High High MediterraneanMediterranean mountainmountain
DiachronicDiachronic evolutionevolution of «of « incultumincultum » areas » areas
Impact, adapation/use of the
historical societies on environnement
evolution described
CaracterizationCaracterization of of agrarianagrarian cycles cycles
and and systemssystems
Historicisation of «Historicisation of « terroirsterroirs » » veryvery
littlelittle knownknown
The wooded meadow
system
described by
P. di Crescenzi
agronomic litteratureXIIIth century
Subalpine or mountain
Mediterranean
level of vegetation
Pattern’sPattern’s restitution of «restitution of « terroirsterroirs » »
and and landscapeslandscapes
Importance of fruitImportance of fruit--treestrees and and
usefullusefull--treestrees isis pointedpointed outout
CaracterizationCaracterization of cultural practicesof cultural practices
TreesTrees in Roman and in Roman and medievalmedieval
MediterraneanMediterranean landscapeslandscapes
TechnicalTechnical knowledgeknowledge and and transferstransfers
of technologies of technologies
Density of medieval vineyards XIII th c. (archaeological data). C. Puig 2003
Commune Name of site Plantation Density to the hectare
Perpignan RD22c AL1 3086 feet /ha
Perpignan RD22c EP29 3361 feet /ha
Perpignan RD22c PL1
Perpignan RD22c PL2
Perpignan Orle ouest agraire PCL 10066 3906 feet /ha
Carcassonne Hauts de Narbonne STP 3001 5002 feet /ha
Perpignan Agrosud PCL 1007 4357 feet /ha
Perpignan Agrosud PCL 1008 4244 feet /ha
Perpignan Agrosud PCL 1009 3958 feet /ha
Perpignan Agrosud PCL 1006 3721 feet /ha
Perpignan Agrosud PCL 1005 4415 feet /ha
Perpignan Agrosud PCL 1004 3441 feet /ha
Le Parc des Oliviers, Béziers, INRAP 2004
Fosse de plantation
d’arbre
Surcreusement
circulaire
Fosse de plantation de vigne
RD22c, Perpignan, INRAP 2000
LANGUEDOCLANGUEDOC--ROUSSILLONROUSSILLON--PROVENCEPROVENCE--CATALOGNECATALOGNE
Trees are in the gardensTrees are in the gardens--orchards, vineyards…..orchards, vineyards…..
Association vineAssociation vine--oliveolive--tree= 25 to 30% of medieval vine yard tree= 25 to 30% of medieval vine yard except in Provenceexcept in Provence
End of XIII th century End of XIII th century ––beginning of the XIVth beginning of the XIVth centurycentury
Increase of trees and oliveIncrease of trees and olive--trees in enclosure fields, fields trees in enclosure fields, fields and cereals fields but less than in gardensand cereals fields but less than in gardens--orchards and orchards and vineyards vineyards
Importance oliveImportance olive--tree/vineyardtree/vineyard
End of XIth centuryEnd of XIth century
Lunel-Viel (IXe-Xe s.)
Tarragone et Cabrera d’Anoia
(XIIe-XVe s.)
L’Ortolo (XVe s.)
Olivier irrigué
Olivier à sec
FIRE CRAFTS AND FIRE CRAFTS AND MANAGEMENT OF MANAGEMENT OF
RESOURCESRESOURCES
Mouha Baghbou charbonnier Naour (Maroc). Octobre 2008. Cl. S. Burri
•• impact of craft activities on vegetal and mineral impact of craft activities on vegetal and mineral environnementenvironnement
•• systems of landscape managementsystems of landscape management
•• ethnoarchaeological approachesethnoarchaeological approaches
Variations of forest structures more than floristic variations : cycle of exploitation
XIe-XIIe siècles XIIIe-XIVe siècles
0,0%
10,0%
20,0%
30,0%
40,0%
50,0%
60,0%
70,0%
80,0%
90,0%
100,0%
Erica arborea Erica sp. Quercus
sempervirens
Nœuds
Nombre d’occurrences : 160Nombre d’occurrences : 160
Nombre d’occurrences : 102
Nombre d’occurrences : 89
Vallon du Fou Cl. S. Duval (Archaeological board service, Martigues, 2008)
Crop of heather and wood of pines
(Southern West France).
Written sources (agronomic litterature and notarial
registers) little documents but documents these practices
agrarian cycle which
maintains a particular
type of vegetation
Importance of social practices in environnemental Importance of social practices in environnemental changes and in environnemental resources managementchanges and in environnemental resources management
Ancient and various anthroposystemsAncient and various anthroposystems
Knowledge on past landscape and environnement Knowledge on past landscape and environnement scenari for futurescenari for future
Decrease of traditionnal rural societies, crafts and Decrease of traditionnal rural societies, crafts and industries implies an homegenisation of Mediterranean industries implies an homegenisation of Mediterranean environnementenvironnement
Social practices and uses of resources is Social practices and uses of resources is a major factor of biodiversity a major factor of biodiversity
CONCLUSIONCONCLUSION
Charbonnière en fin de chemisage. Douar Sidi Sefe (Maroc). Octobre 2009. Cl. A. Durand
Results and prospects
• New corpus of referred data
• Characterization of ancient landscapes systems, social organisations and
agrarian practices
• Proposition s of possible scenari for present and future and of
environnemental ressources
• Creation of landscape and environnemental database
• New methods of analyzes
• Better evaluation of environnemental impact by ancient societies and better
expertise of inheritage
Carte J.-F. Terral
Wild olive-tree
Wild olive-tree in riparian conditions
Olive-tree cultivated in dry conditions
Olive-tree cultivated irrigated
Modern
populationsAncient remains
COMPARATIVE
APPROACH
MODELS of
REFERENCE Charcoals and seeds
STRA
TIGR
AP
HY
Etalonnage de la vitrification sur les charbons de bois d’Erica arborea
Stade 1 Stade 5
Clichés MEB université de Montpellier II
Changements méthodologiques
• Modes différents de production des sources qui on chacune leurpropres références spatiales et temporelles ; corpus fini de sourcesécrites (absence de reproductibilité )
complémentarité des sources n’existe pas
• Modes différents d’inscription dans le temps : chaque objet d’étude a sapropre temporalité
temps des matériauxtemps de la sociététemps de l’environnement
•• DémarcheDémarche d’intégrationd’intégration avecavec changementchangement dede paradigmeparadigme puisquepuisque leleprotocoleprotocole estest établiétabli àà lala finfin quandquand l’acculturationl’acculturation desdes pratiquespratiques estest acquiseacquiseetet queque l’accordl’accord s’ests’est faitfait sursur lesles attendusattendus etet nonnon paspas auau débutdébut commecomme pourpourchaquechaque rechercherecherche disciplinairedisciplinaire
intégrationintégration desdes échelleséchelles dede tempstemps etet d’espaced’espaceapparitionapparition dede nœudsnœuds dede blocageblocage (dialogue(dialogue interdisciplinaire)interdisciplinaire)
A. D. Bouches-Rhône B 1847 Compte de clavaire Draguignan, 1351, f°55v Chateaudouble. Cl. S. Burri
• Long travail de construction des données basée sur de nouveaux référentielset protocoles d’analyse et sur une critique des sources ; nouvelles relationsentre la connaissance et l’action scientifique
CHANGEMENT DE PARADIGMECHANGEMENT DE PARADIGME
•• naissance de l’archéologie du champ et des espaces naissance de l’archéologie du champ et des espaces
cultes ou incultes grâce à l’emploi de moyens cultes ou incultes grâce à l’emploi de moyens
mécaniques lourdsmécaniques lourds
•• redéfinition de la notion de site archéologiqueredéfinition de la notion de site archéologique
•• reconnaissance des reconnaissance des écofactsécofacts comme des objets comme des objets
archéologiques et historiques à part entière archéologiques et historiques à part entière
porteurs d’une histoire des pratiques et des porteurs d’une histoire des pratiques et des
gestes techniquesgestes techniques
•• DÉVELOPPEMENT DE L’ARCHÉOLOGIE PRÉVENTIVEDÉVELOPPEMENT DE L’ARCHÉOLOGIE PRÉVENTIVE
UTILISATION D’OUTILS BIOLOGIQUESUTILISATION D’OUTILS BIOLOGIQUES
•• INTERROGATIONS DE LA SOCIÉTÉ CONTEMPORAINEINTERROGATIONS DE LA SOCIÉTÉ CONTEMPORAINE
décennie 1990décennie 1990--20002000