Fourth PhD workshop co-organized by CEFRES and EHESS, Prague, April 24, 2025
A report by Bleuenn Bidois, intern at CEFRES
By bringing together young researchers from various disciplines, the workshop aimed to explore flows of objects, practices, techniques and knowledge that shaped the medieval world. The day began with a conceptual introduction by Lise Saussus (EHESS, Paris), who encouraged participants to rethink the notion of circulation beyond the narrow framework of “transfer.” Circulation, she argued, implies movement, transformation, and mutual influence rather than a one-way transmission. She also highlighted the importance of linking production with consumption and of analyzing both standardization and local variation. Thus, material culture is not just a passive witness but an active medium of knowledge, skill, and social organization. As the various PhD presentations showed, the medieval world, far from being withdrawn, was shaped by diverse dynamics of exchange and interaction.
Keynote – Reading Objects as Texts
The keynote lecture by Vincent Debiais (EHESS, Paris) offered an original methodological framework for interpreting medieval objects. Drawing on the metaphors of rhizome, substratum, and airway, he proposed three models to understand how meanings, forms, and techniques moved across space and time. The rhizome, illustrated through Cologne reliquaries, breaks with hierarchies and origins, showing instead non-linear, fragmented paths of influence. The substratum, drawn from Carolingian epitaphs in Melle, underscores local resistance to standardization, suggesting deep continuities despite reform. The airway, explored via sculpture in Conques and Rodez, evokes ephemeral, hard-to-trace connections, where transmission is more about inspiration than replication. Debiais emphasized the importance of thinking beyond linear narratives and recognizing the complexity of medieval cultural flows. His talk invited researchers to combine archaeological, textual, and visual evidence to better understand those circulations across space and time.

PhD Presentations – Circulation in Practice
Diane Bauster-Biancardini (Cergy Paris Université – EHESS, Paris) presented her work on basse-taille enamels, luxurious artefacts central to elite visual culture in late medieval Europe. Her key argument challenges the idea of a uniform “International Gothic” style. Instead, she sees it as a product of circulating techniques, materials, and symbolic forms across a trans-European network of workshops. Using material analysis and statistical tools like principal component analysis on glass samples, Bauster-Biancardini reconstructs the structure of production networks despite the loss of most original pieces (only 5% of these objects may have avoided the melting and dismantling). She also interprets the political and ritual functions of these objects—especially in royal and ecclesiastical contexts—and by cross-referencing archival “ghost objects” and museum-held heritage pieces, she reveals their spatial and functional diversity and how they formed networks of meaning.
Anna Neválovits (Pázmány Péter Catholic University, Budapest) explored the significance of hacksilver hoards in the Carpathian Basin, focusing on their role in economic and artisanal exchange during the 10th and 11th centuries. Her analysis of hoards from Darufalva and Zsennye shows that the early Hungarian Kingdom was not only integrated into a wider trading network connecting Scandinavia, Poland, and the Rus’, but also actively involved in the exchange of goldsmithing techniques. The hoards provide evidence of stylistic and technological interactions, particularly in the unique electrum arm rings from Zsennye. Importantly, she emphasized that the hoards and nearby fortifications should be studied together, as they reflect interconnected aspects of political, economic, and artisanal life in the early Hungarian Kingdom.
Carmen Sánchez Castillo (University of Granada) examined Rhenish stoneware found in the destroyed town of Bayra (Almería), dating from the 15th–16th centuries. Despite being a minor settlement (eight pieces of Rhenish stoneware), the discovery of those high-quality imported ceramics raises the question of how and why such goods reached non-elite urban contexts. Her work combines archaeological stratigraphy with archaeometry testing to trace the objects’ Rhineland origin. Beyond trade, Sánchez Castillo explores how these vessels reflect changing social norms, particularly around alcohol consumption, in the post-Nasrid territories. Her findings open new avenues on trade with Central Europe and challenge assumptions about the limits of cultural reach in early modern Iberia.
Jorge Garrido López (University of Granada) introduced Nasrid leather into the conversation on Mediterranean trade. Based on unpublished archival sources and archaeological findings, he demonstrated that leather, especially from Malaga, was widely traded with Italy and North Africa in the 14th–15th centuries. He suggests that “Malaga leather” may have functioned as a proto-brand, valued for its craftsmanship. His work also traces the continuity of production after the Castilian conquest, highlighting the role of Morisco tanners and the resilience of artisanal knowledge. Ultimately, this work aims to integrate leather into the broader narrative of economic transformation in late medieval al-Andalus and to recognize its integration into the Mediterranean international trade dynamics.
Bence Góra (Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest) addressed graphite-tempered pottery, a grey kitchenware previously considered an Austrian import. Through petrographic analysis and compositional study, he demonstrated that many such vessels were made locally in Hungary, using imported graphite, likely from southern Bohemia (Český Krumlov or Chvaletice). The presence of heraldic stamps, particularly from Austrian towns like Vienna, initially suggested foreign origin. However, the discovery of unstamped or poorly stamped vessels points to local imitations or production by immigrant artisans. These findings indicate that graphite-tempered pottery was not just an imported commodity but part of a broader technological and cultural exchange. Góra emphasizes the importance of integrating scientific analysis with archaeological context to better understand local craftsmanship and foreign influence in the production and distribution of medieval ceramics
Jenni Sahramaa (University of Helsinki) focused on copper alloy belt buckles and fittings found in male graves from 10th–12th century Finland. While female dress retained local features, these male accessories reflected broader Baltic and Gotlandic styles, suggesting the spread of masculine identity markers through trade or migration. Using typology and material science (including emerging leather analysis and metal composition testing), Sahramaa explored whether these belts were imported commodities or locally produced imitations. Her work highlights how objects mediate between local practices and supra-regional identities in times of cultural transition in medieval northern Europe.
Konrad Burek (University of Wrocław) challenges traditional assumptions by investigating the material culture of the now-abandoned village of Goschwitz in Silesia, revealing that rural populations accessed “elite” objects such as long knives (Messer), spurs, and faience. Such items, often symbolizing social status and freedom, suggest that peasants were not isolated from broader economic or cultural flows. Drawing parallels with sites in Bohemia and Hungary, Burek argues for a reassessment of the concept of “luxury” in medieval Central and Eastern Europe, proposing that rural dwellers were active participants in economic and cultural exchanges, not merely “poor and defenseless” as earlier narratives have suggested.
Conclusion of the day – Multiple Middle Ages
The closing remarks and final discussion was made by Jakub Sawicki (Institute of Archaeology, Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague), who emphasized that there is no single “Middle Age” but rather multiple medieval experiences shaped by diverse sources, methods, and perspectives. A key theme was the value of studying human culture through objects, using a wide range of approaches, from archaeology to quantitative and interdisciplinary methods. The teaching of medieval studies itself poses challenges, particularly when confined to national narratives. The workshop highlighted the importance of moving beyond national frameworks, encouraging dialogue across borders and disciplines. Circulation—of objects, techniques, and people—was a central topic, but participants noted that archaeological evidence alone cannot reveal full networks. Instead, combining it with written sources (such as regulations or trade records) helps to “connect the dots” and uncover hidden dynamics. Understanding material exchange requires crossing disciplinary lines and remaining open to other research traditions, both methodologically and temporally. Participants stressed the importance of humility, collaboration, and inspiration drawn from different scholarly traditions and historical contexts to enrich our understanding of the medieval world.

OpenEdition vous propose de citer ce billet de la manière suivante :
Claire Madl (27 juin 2025). A European Middle Ages: Circulations of Objects, Practices, and Techniques between Central and Western Europe (1000-1600). Forum Recherche du CEFRES. Consulté le 6 juin 2026 à l’adresse https://doi.org/10.58079/14836