In Morocco, medieval forest landscapes have long been interpreted primarily through textual sources that convey socially constructed representations of wooded environments rather than direct ecological realities. These sources, shaped by genre conventions and political or social contexts, offer only fragmentary insights into the diversity of woody resources, management practices and the socio-economic roles of forests. Palynological research has significantly refined our understanding of long-term vegetation dynamics, yet its spatial coverage remains uneven: mountainous regions are comparatively well documented, whereas lowland and arid areas—where major socio-economic transformations occurred—remain poorly represented due to unfavourable conditions for pollen preservation. This paper presents the first synthetic anthracological assessment of medieval woody resources in Morocco, based on published and unpublished charcoal assemblages from archaeological contexts spanning from the Atlantic coast to the margins of the Sahara and from the early Islamic period to the late Middle Ages. Despite their uneven spatial distribution, these datasets provide new insights into wood procurement strategies and the role of forests within agro-pastoral systems. By integrating anthracological evidence with textual and palynological data where available, this contribution explores the evolution of forest landscapes and of resource management practices over the medieval period.The results reveal pronounced regional variability in woodland exploitation and landscape organisation. Beyond environmental reconstruction, this synthesis challenges homogenising narratives of medieval deforestation, highlights the diversity of regional trajectories, and opens new perspectives for interdisciplinary approaches to North African forest landscapes.
- Towards a new history of medieval forest landscapes in Morocco: anthracology in an interdisciplinary framework
- Jérôme Ros - Université de Montpellier, ISEM - Institut des Sciences de l'Evolution - MontpellierMarie Larrieu - Université de Montpellier, ISEM - Institut des Sciences de l'Evolution - MontpellierJakez Moreau - Université de Montpellier, ISEM - Institut des Sciences de l'Evolution - MontpellierAmandine Cartier - Université de Montpellier, ISEM - Institut des Sciences de l'Evolution - MontpellierJean-Frédéric Terral - Université de Montpellier, ISEM - Institut des Sciences de l'Evolution - MontpellierSarah Ivorra - Université de Montpellier, ISEM - Institut des Sciences de l'Evolution - MontpellierBertrand Limier - Université de Montpellier, ISEM - Institut des Sciences de l'Evolution - MontpellierJennifer Vanz - Centre de recherche en histoire européenne comparée
- 9th International Anthracology Meeting, Anthraco 2026 (Thessalonique, Greece, 06/07/2026–10/07/2026)
- 99259557909311
- ISEM - Institut des Sciences de l'Evolution - Montpellier
- English
- Conference proceeding
- halshs-05686072