NORMANITAS IN SICILY
Channel: European Association of Archaeologists
Date: 2021-02-26

The objective of this short paper is to review the impact of the Norman period in Sicily in terms of urban development, rural settlement, agriculture, trade - and demography as indicated by the cemeteries. The ‘Norman period’ may be defined as running from the first incursions of the Hautevilles in 1061/68, to the occupation of Palermo in 1091, to the creation of the kingdom of Roger II in 1130, to his death in 1154, to the death of Tancred in 1194. At this point Sicily became a dominion of the Hohenstaufen/Swabian regime. During the 150 years in question, the mid 11th to the late 12th century, the character of society and the economy changed in a set of subterranean rhythms that suggest that the policies of successive rulers were not necessarily the prime movers. The project ‘sictransit’ sets out to assess the Norman impact on the Greek, Arab and Roman peoples of the island and the consequent achievements of the farmers, merchants and their families of mixed origins whose agency is suspected of being determinant. This paper will ask how far we can identify archaeological correlates that could be described as Normanitas and if so how they were modified by the conquered peoples. Sictransit is an ERC project of the Universities of York, Rome Tor Vergata and Lecce

http://sicilyintransition.org


Author(s): Carver, Martin (University of York)