Power and rural landscapes in early medieval <scp>G</scp>alicia (400–900 <scp>ad</scp>): towards a re‐incorporation of the archaeology into the historical narrative

Abstract

This paper aims to bring together hitherto neglected archaeological data about the early medieval landscapes of G alicia (north‐west S pain), in order to understand the social transformations this ‘peripheral’ region underwent between the fifth and the ninth centuries and to frame them in the context of wider E uropean debates. Despite its many limitations, the archaeology reveals that until the middle of the seventh century, the late antique society of G allaecia experienced a previously unsuspected vitality. At this point a socio‐political fragmentation occurred, which was characterized by the strengthening of local power, until a further change took place with the progressive incorporation of G alicia into the A sturian kingdom in the ninth century.