Archaeological possibilities for the analysis of Food Insecurity in the Early Middle Ages: and a case study in Northern Gaul (8th–10th centuries)

Abstract

This article investigates the conceptual and methodological challenges for analyzing possible episodes of famine and food shortages in the Early Middle Ages, based on the articulation between Archaeology and History. Between the 8th and 10th centuries, there was an increase in mentions of famine in written sources and, simultaneously, in agricultural production and in the volume of food storage structures, as evidenced in the region of Northern Gaul. From an interdisciplinary approach, we propose a cautious reading of osteological remains and storage structures, with an emphasis on the relationship between social inequality and access to food. The article defends the use of analytical categories more compatible with the limits of archaeological evidence (such as the contemporary concept of Food Insecurity) and analyzes, as a case study, the site “Le Chemin aux Errants”. It is concluded that records of food crises should not be interpreted only as a reflection of productive scarcity, but also as material expressions of profound social asymmetries, which cause disparities in both the  distribution and access to such foodstuffs.