L'ager et la villa : structures du paysage et du peuplement dans la région mâconnaise à la fin du haut Moyen Âge (IXe-XIe siècles)

The Ager and the Villa : Structure ofLand and Population in the Mâconnais Area at the End of the Early Middle Ages As the archives of the Cluny abbey have been preserved, southern Burgundy represents a favoured region for the study of the rural world at the end of the early Middle Ages. A fine analysis of the material organisation of the population is made possible by the great number of sources and their specific concentration in a small area, the region of Maconnais. A serial analysis of more than 2000 private deeds between the years 900 and 1050 provide both the basis for a description of the physical characteristics of the soil(nature and morphology of the land, road networks) and demonstrate the clear division of space into basic units called the villae grouped together within agri. . These two territorial structures, whose origin and character are open to discussion, represent the basis of mon 's spatial perception at the beginning of the l0th century. The abundance of available documents permits a limited reconstruction of their make-up. Finally, their decline can be observed throughout the 10th century when they were progressively to be replaced by a new form of settlement organization based on the village and the parish of the Later Middle Ages.Bange François. L'ager et la villa : structures du paysage et du peuplement dans la région mâconnaise à la fin du haut Moyen Âge (IXe-XIe siècles). In: Annales. Économies, Sociétés, Civilisations. 39ᵉ année, N. 3, 1984. pp. 529-569