The Archaeology of Medieval Spain, 1100-1500

edited by Magdalena Valor and Avelino Gutierrez

Book cover: The Archaeology of Medieval Spain, 1100-1500

Extent: 348 pages

Publisher: Equinox Publishing

Subjects: Medieval Studies

Series: Studies In the Archaeology of Medieval Europe

Language: English

Paperback (Published)

(November 2015)

ISBN: 9781781792520

7.4 x 9.69 inches

Price: $49.95

In stock

Hardback (Published)

(July 2014)

ISBN: 9781845531737

7.4 x 9.69 inches

Price: $49.95

In stock

The Iberian Peninsula represents a very particular case within the European context. During the Middle Ages, Christians, Muslims and also Jews coexisted in cities and the countryside. The territory was divided into Christian kingdoms and al-Andalus, both parts changing drastically between the 12th and 15th century. This book attempts to focus on differences, similarities and influences of these various cultures that developed during this crucial period between High and Late Middle Ages, as well as their heritage in present Spain. The volume is the first modern account in English of medieval archaeology in Spain benefiting from the extraordinary development of Spanish archaeological research arising from the creation of regional governments (Comunidades Autonomas) in the 1980’s.


Since 1985, Spanish archaeology has radically improved its organisation and effectiveness, supported by law and the transfer of powers to deal with archaeology from central to regional governments. There have been many excavations on development sites in towns and the countryside, but also new studies of rural landscapes and monuments. As in other European countries, this has produced a mountain of as yet undigested information about the history and archaeology of this fascinating country over four centuries. Now two Spanish archaeologists, aided by a large number of colleagues in Spain, France, Germany and Britain, have produced the first survey in either English or Spanish of the last 30 years of investigations, new discoveries and new theories. Chapters deal with the rural and urban habitat, daily life, trade and technology, castles and fortifications, the display of secular power and all three religions of medieval Spain: Islam, Christianity and Judaism. This is a major contribution to the archaeology of medieval Europe and a handbook for archaeologists and travelers.

  • Edited by Avelino Gutierrez
  • Edited by Magdalena Valor

"Such an ambitious book is difficult to summarize; it is astonishing that so little attention has been paid until now to such a rich archaeological resource." --Salon "For students of medieval Spain, this is a work that has long been needed. It is invaluable for placing architectural structures within the physical environs of the Peninsula and for showing how they changed in the constant interaction between Spain's Muslim and Christian societies. The authors of this book, however, go farther than that; they lay before us the structures of daily life in medieval Spain. Both the scholarly and general reader should be grateful for this gift." --Donald J. Kagay, The Sixteenth Century Journal, Vol XLVI, No. 4, Winter 2015 "...The book is of value to a readership ranging from the undergraduate approaching the subject for the first time to the more seasoned scholar who requires a summary of some of the latest archaeological research." --Rebecca Bridgman, Journal of Islamic Archaeology 3.2 (2016)