Knowledge Agora



Scientific Article details

Title Circular Economy in the Roman Period and the Early Middle Ages - Methods of Analysis for a Future Agenda
ID_Doc 3702
Authors Bavuso, I; Furlan, G; Intagliata, EE; Steding, J
Title Circular Economy in the Roman Period and the Early Middle Ages - Methods of Analysis for a Future Agenda
Year 2023
Published Open Archaeology, 9, 1
DOI 10.1515/opar-2022-0301
Abstract In recent years, studies on reuse practices in premodern societies have multiplied. Nonetheless, a linear model (production - usage - discard) is still widely employed for describing past economic systems. Integrating it with a circular model, instead of assuming that products were discarded after their usage, would greatly benefit our knowledge of ancient and medieval economies. In this work, we present a model of circular economy and define the terms used in this context. Thereafter, a possible agenda on how to study circularity both through archaeological material and written sources is traced. This covers archaeological fieldwork methods, as well as the process of interpretation and the re-evaluation of old data. It also proposes new strategies to use and read written sources to explore reuse practices. If different theoretical and methodological approaches are combined, a more holistic and vivid picture of premodern economies can be gained and help our understanding of how past societies used the resources available to them.
Author Keywords circular economy; reuse; urban archaeology; Roman period; medieval period
Index Keywords Index Keywords
Document Type Other
Open Access Open Access
Source Arts & Humanities Citation Index (A&HCI)
EID WOS:001043312400001
WoS Category Archaeology
Research Area Archaeology
PDF https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/opar-2022-0301/pdf
Similar atricles
Scroll