The historic landscape of Catalonia : landscape history of a Mediterranean country in the Middle Ages / by Jordi Bolòs.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Bolòs i Masclans, Jordi, author.

Series:

Medieval countryside ; 1784-8814 v. 23.

The Medieval Countryside, 1784-8814 ; volume 23

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Catalonia (Spain)--History.

Catalonia (Spain).

Catalonia (Spain)--Civilization.

Catalonia (Spain)--Description and travel.

Historical geography--Spain--Catalonia.

Historical geography.

Landscapes--Spain--Catalonia--History.

Landscapes.

Civilization.

Travel.

Spain--Catalonia.

Genre:

History

Physical Description:

469 pages : illustrations, maps ; 24 cm.

Place of Publication:

Turnhout, Belgium : Brepols, [2023]

Summary:

"The landscape around us is largely the result of man-made transformations. It consists of villages, farmsteads, cities, fields, ditches, and roads. This book examines how the landscape of the Mediterranean country of Catalonia was created and transformed. Although Catalonia's history goes back before the Middle Ages, it was during the medieval period that it saw significant development, which has continued ever since. Understanding the landscape helps us understand political, social, economic, and cultural changes. In this book we discover how the settlements built around a castle or a church were created, and what the open villages and new towns were like, both in Catalonia and in neighbouring territories. The book also explores the formation of cities and towns as well as the significance of hamlets and farmsteads, based on data provided by written documents and archaeological excavations. It also explores the formation of fields, ditches, and irrigated areas, and shows the importance of understanding the boundaries and demarcations that enclose valleys, villages, castles, and parishes. Finally, special attention is devoted to place names and cartography, as these shed light on numerous historical realities."-- Publisher's website.

Contents:

Introduction

Houses Become a Village: The Villages of the Pyrenees

Churches, Monasteries, and Villages: In Each Village a Church

Castles and Castral Villages: The incastellamento of the Landscape

New Towns and Complex Settlements

Hamlets and Farmsteads: The Dispersal of the Population

The Medieval Towns and Cities: The Other Side of the Medieval Landscape

Cultivated Land: The Relevance of Pre-Medieval Past

Coombs, Terraces, Concentric Forms, and Land Strips

Irrigated Land, Rivers, and Lakes

The Importance of Mills, Iron, and Salt

Woodland and Pastureland: Changes in Vegetation and Environment

Roads and Pathways, the Network that Organizes the Landscape

Boundaries and Territories: A Country Full of Old Borders

The Importance of Toponymy

Mapping the Historical Landscape

Conclusion: Studying Historic Landscapes Bridges Gaps Between the Past and the Present

Glossary.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 373-425) and indexes.

ISBN:

9782503603056

250360305X

OCLC:

1374571074