B5123 - Circuits of Exchange and Trade in the Middle Ages (1) (LM)

Learning outcomes

At the end of the module students have a basic and specific knowledge of the development of medieval society and exchange, by studying the interactions between historical phenomena and geographical areas. They are able to use different types of sources as well as tools and have a specific and interdisciplinary knowledge of economic development. They can design and create an effective communication of specific contents, also within working groups and heterogeneous cultural contexts.

Course contents

The economic history of the Middle Ages constitutes a field of enquiry which, even if it has been explored by generations of scholars, is little known to the general public and engenders widespread misunderstandings even among medievalists. Books, articles and handbooks reiterate, more often than not, old hypotheses put forward by the pioneers of medieval economic history in the Sixties and the Seventies; and those same hypotheses are sometimes considered as established truths.

In recent years, however, the debate has revamped; at present, medievalists discuss over the analytical framework for the surviving evidence (both written and archaeological) and the economic models backing it up.

The class will tackle those problems by focusing on the systems of exchange and commerce all throughout the medieval millennium. The main geographical scope will be Latin Europe, but the Greek and Muslim regions will be taken into account, too.

Topics will include (but will not be restricted to):

– some elements of the economic theory regarding the very notions of 'exchange' and 'commerce';

– the late-Roman fiscal system and its collapse in the West between the fifth and the seventh centuries;

– the society and the economy of the post-Roman kingdoms of the West;

– exchange and commerce in the Greek world and the Islamic Mediterranean;

– the economic dynamism of the sistema curtense (manorial system) and the emporia (coastal towns oriented towards commerce) in Carolingian Europe;

– the 'feudal revolution' and the economic growth of the West (11th-12th centuries);

– credit activities and commercial networks during the so-called 'long 12th century';

– manufacturing activities, long-distance commerce, accounting and finance in the Duecento – the 'commercial revolution' in question;

– international commerce and the Black Death;

– crisis, stagnation and growth in late-medieval Europe.

Readings/Bibliography

Both the students who attend the class and those who do not will be required to study:

1. C. Wickham, Le società dell’alto Medioevo. Europa e Mediterraneo, secoli V-VIII, Roma, Viella, 2009, ch. 11 (pp. 729-859);

2. C. Wickham, L’asino e il battello. Ripensare l’economia del Mediterraneo medievale, 950-1180, Roma, Viella, 2024, ch. 7 (pp. 699-742);

3. S. Tognetti, 'Attività industriali e commercio di manufatti nelle città toscane del tardo Medioevo (1250 ca. – 1530 ca.)', in Archivio Storico Italiano, 159 (2001), pp. 423-479 (only pp. 423-431);

4. A. Poloni, 'Francesco Datini e Hildebrand Veckinchusen: il commercio internazionale dopo la peste del Trecento', in Storicamente, 2021 (2022), pp. 1-30.

  The students who do not attend the class are required to add

– A. Fiore e A. Poloni, L'economia medievale. Un profilo storico (secoli V-XV), Roma, Carocci, 2024. The students will be required to study only the Introduction, and three chapters of their choice;

  and one essay of their choice among those listed below:

1. P. Toubert, 'Il sistema curtense: la produzione e lo scambio interno in Italia nei secoli VIII, IX e X', in Sergi, G. (ed. by), Curtis e signoria rurale. Interferenze fra due strutture medievali, Torino, Scriptorium, 1997, pp. 25-94 (only sections 3 and 4);

2. G. Petralia, 'Le "navi" e i "cavalli": per una rilettura del Mediterraneo pienomedievale', in Quaderni storici, 103 (2000), pp. 201-222;

3. J. Goldberg, 'Choosing and Enforcing Business Relationship in the Mediterranean: Reassessing the "Maghribi Traders" ', in Past and Present, 216 (2013), pp. 3-40;

4. S. Carocci, 'Signoria rurale e mutazione feudale. Una discussione', in Storica, 8 (1997), pp. 49-91;

5. A. Poloni, 'Alle origini del network. I cambiamenti nell'organizzazione del commercio internazionale alla fine del Medioevo', in Storica, 89 (2024), pp. 9-46.

 

Teaching methods

Series of lectures, which will include the reading of primary sources (all translated into Italian).

Assessment methods

In order to be considered a regular attendant, a student needs to take part in at least 75% of lectures.

The students who attend the class will be evaluated on:

- the topics and documents analysed in class;

- the texts for both the students who attend the class and those who do not, as listed in the Readings/Bibliography section;

The students who do not attend the class will be evaluated on:

- the texts for both the students who attend the class and those who do not, as listed in the Readings/Bibliography section;

- the introduction and three chapters of their choice from the textbook by Fiore and Poloni, L'economia medievale (see above);

- an essay chosen from those proposed in the section dedicated to non-attendees in the Readings/Bibliography section.

Assessment Criteria and Grades

The following factors are taken into account for assessment: clarity of language, understanding of the topics discussed, and the ability to draw connections between those topics.

Grades are expressed on a scale of 30. At the teacher’s discretion, a distinction (lode) may be awarded.

Achievement of full critical knowledge of the topics covered and mastery of scientific language will be evaluated with excellent grades (30L-25). Merely basic knowledge of the exam material, or an ability to synthesise and/or analyse without the full mastery of the proper language, will result in good grades (24-20). Gaps in learning and/or inappropriate language will lead to passing grades (18) or slightly higher (20–18). Serious gaps, inappropriate language, and the inability to navigate the bibliographic materials will result in a negative grade (<18).

The class (6 credits) is part of the so-called 'integrated class' SISTEMI ECONOMICI NEL MEDIOEVO (12 credits).

If a student has enrolled in the 'integrated course' (12 credits), the final grade will be calculated as the arithmetic mean of the grades obtained in the two components (B5124 - PRODUZIONE AGRARIA E ALIMENTAZIONE NEL MEDIOEVO + B5123 - CIRCUITI DI SCAMBIO E COMMERCIO NEL MEDIOEVO).

Teaching tools

Reproductions or editions of the sources analysed in class will be made available online. At the end of each class, the relevant PowerPoint presentation will be uploaded to Virtuale.

Students who, due to disabilities or specific learning disabilities, require compensatory or accommodative measures must first contact the appropriate office: Servizio per gli Studenti con Disabilità e con DSA [https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/it].

Office hours

See the website of Lorenzo Tabarrini