Landscape history and archaeology of open field landscapes in Europe

Abstract

The landscapes of open fields were the grain baskets of medieval Europe. The term ‘open fields’ refers to the large arable fields that have an open character because the individual parcels of the owners were not surrounded by hedges, woodbanks, drystone walls or other visible boundaries. In this paper, I focus on the traces of open fields in different parts of Europe, distinguishing two periods. The first period, up to the early 14th century, covers the period of origin and growth. The heyday of the open fields ended during the first half of the 14th century due to population decline, which was followed by a series of reorganisations of the European landscape (the second period, until the present day). Both these periods have left traces in the European landscape.