Contribution Of Archaeology To Medieval And Modern Sardinia 311
The planning of future research around the abandoned villages of Sardinia
should also take into consideration excavations of modern or contemporary
sites, such as the village of Bisarcio, which was investigated on the surface in
2012, with 120 buildings documented within the overall settlement.
Furthermore, the result of archaeological research conducted on the medi-
eval castles of Sardinia and the reevaluation of written sources has allowed a
reconsideration of the overall interpretation of the general fortification pro-
cess and the re-dating of individual structures. The dating of the foundation of
the castles of Bosa, Monteleone Roccadoria, Castelsardo, and Alghero has been
reduced by around 150 years, from the beginning of the twelfth to the mid-
thirteenth centuries. However, not all historians accept this revision, which
amends a view of Sardinian history extant for a little under five centuries. The
debate is thus an interesting and rather heated one.
The problem of medieval trade deserves to be mentioned. There is a long
historical tradition concerned with the history of medieval trade in Sardinia,
yet this, like the contribution of medieval archaeology, can only be addressed
as part of an interdisciplinary dialogue between written sources and material
culture. The maturity of research today on the written sources is predominant-
ly due to the work of the founding fathers of studies on the economy and trade
of medieval Sardinia, such as P. Amat di San Filippo, Enrico Besta, Arrigo Solmi,
as well as those devoted in whole or in part to Sardinia within the Catalan and
Aragonese economic koiné, such as Ciro Manca, Mario Del Treppo, and Marco
Tangheroni.
Conversely, archeological studies began after nearly a century of delay.
It is only recently that the role of ninth- and tenth-century Forum Ware ap-
pears crucial to the study of the settlement patterns and exchanges within
the Tyrrhenian area. That said, today it is still difficult to assess the actual
contribution of Sardinian archaeology to the macro theme of later medieval
Mediterranean trade.
Like the written documentation, the archaeological record of medieval
trade in Sardinia is affected by complex problems concerning the formation,
preservation, decoding, and correct use of data. Each of these steps causes a
leakage and a depletion of the information’s potential for departure. A broader
reflection, on the formative processes of the writings and the archaeological
finds, must identify the limitations caused by the processes of collecting ar-
chaeological data and the production of written documents (notaries, cus-
toms). In this way, it is possible to build a more effective, integrated system
of information about the history of medieval trade in Sardinia, which is not
limited to extemporaneous comparisons between written documents and ar-
chaeological material and therefore approximate and subjective. A reflection