The elites in the village : study of the social distinction through archaeological indicators, on both sides of the Channel Sea, from the 11th to the 15th century

Abstract

This PhD aims both at demonstrating that archaeological remains could and should be socially interpreted and at revising our - sometimes simplified - perspective on the socio-economic stratification of medieval villages. This project is based on the example of the excavations situated at Trainecourt (Grentheville - Calvados) where an “aristocratic” house had been established in the centre of the hamlet. Thus, a method has been developed to grasp village elites, of whom we know some details thanks to medieval written sources but who had hardly been studied in medieval archaeology.
By using a comparative approach that draws a parallel between both French and English archaeological data and scientific perspectives; by adopting the theoretical frame offered by the Social Archaeology; by studying the social processes (the distinction, coming closer to, the performance) that are expressed by patterns of consumption in the settlement; by examining aristocratic sites (manor houses, moated sites, castles, etc.), we managed to establish a list of thirty-four archaeological indicators revealing an outstanding social identity. They are grouped in three categories: the use of space, the morphology of the settlement and a specific lifestyle. This repertoire was then compared to rural sites (villages, hamlets, etc.) situated on both sides of the Channel Sea, to emphasize some details of social stratification. As a whole, elite units have been spotted out in seven villages or hamlets and socio-economic hierarchies established for a dozen more.