On September 29th, Lab2PT/IN2PAST doctoral student Diego Santos Ferreira Machado defended his thesis, entitled “From Bracara to Braga: Economic and Social Dynamics between the 3rd and 15th Centuries: An Archaeological Approach”, supervised by Professor Maria Manuela dos Reis Martins.

 

This thesis focuses on the analysis and valuation of ceramic and numismatic materials to address the economy and society of the city of Braga between the beginning of Late Antiquity and the end of the Middle Ages. The aim is to use material culture as a raw material for constructing historical discourse over the long term. The technological and economic approach to ceramics will allow us to understand the development of production and commercial exchanges between the 3rd and 15th centuries, leveraging criteria such as formal and productive variability, pertinent indicators of economic and sociocultural reality, resulting from technical innovation and the evolution of customs and tastes. Cross-referencing this data with monetary circulation will allow for an understanding of the city’s socioeconomic evolution, potentially contributing new and innovative knowledge regarding the organization of labor, production chains, and commerce, and demonstrating the potential of material culture as a privileged source of History.

 

Congratulations to Dr. Diego Santos Ferreira Machado!

 

Images: Rebeca Blanco Rotea and Mestrado em Arqueologia da Universidade do Minho