The Forces of Production: Crop and Animal Husbandry
Helena Hamerow
In a world in which virtually everyone was farmer, farming not an ‘occupation’: the early medieval leod who, on one hand, military service to king, could also have fields till. It is perhaps for this reason that, although Lex Salica deals extensively with matters, it contains no term ‘farmer’. The daily life and view of communities were undoubtedly shaped fundamental ways by agricultural cycle, yet difficult treat activities per se, precisely because there so little description everyday activities. Further complicating ancient field systems are notoriously identify date, animal bones plant remains survive relative abundance from period, tools very rarely preserved. Even excavating settlements unlikely tell us much about farming. A web economic environmental factors underlies developments practices apparent during second half first millennium ad, agrarian production among most intractable, crucially important, subjects studies. This chapter begins broad overview what known individual archaeological written sources, concludes consideration implications evidence wider social issues. For example, those regions lying within former western Empire, how continuity late Roman rural economy? When did at least some farms begin regularly produce substantial, tradeable, surplus? Finally, intensification cereal throughout North Sea zone relate changes nature lordship land tenure? Early law-codes charters generally more say rearing than crop husbandry information remarkably detailed; Salica, refers ten different categories pig! (Wickham 1985). Some Carolingian charters, furthermore, refer values animals; estates Werden, state that cow worth 8 denarii, as ewe lamb, (Wulf 1991).
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