[EN] In central and northern Puglia, the period between the second half of the 10th and the first half of the 11 'h century stands as a crucial moment for the return to the use of stone in building. However, only from the end of the 11 th century, and especially in the 12th, starting with religious architecture, did more sophisticated stone-working spread ( characterized by dressed stone blocks and carefully finished surfaces). This is an indicator of new building practices, probably connected with the circulation of skilled itinerant workers in the Norman South, also from France, and with the experience of the large monastic construction projects activated in central and southern ltaly, of 'international' type. This interpretative approach is supported by a series of archaeological findings in central and northern Puglia, presented in the text, having their place in a wider context that finds parallels also in other parts of southern Italy. With regard to residential buildings, the evidence indicares a significant use of stone in major urban centres since the 1 Oth-11 th centuries, even in simple domestic buildings, although combined with other materials, including perishable ones. On the other hand, in secondary centres and in the countryside, long-standing customs, the product of traditional skills, seem to be prolonged, probably managed in an independent, self-sufficient way by the communities themselves. The text offers an interpretation of the contexts in which these trends developed, and at the same time poses questions regarding the socio-economic, cultural and material dynamics which may explain their origins and later developments.

Actas del congreso Il paesaggio pietrificato. La storia sociale dell’Europa tra X e XIII secolo attraverso l’archeologia del costruito (Arezzo, 7-8 febbraio 2020). Este congreso fue celebrado en el ámbito del proyecto ERC: Petrifying Wealth. The Southern European Shift to Masonry as Collective Investment in identity, c.1050-1300. Este artículo está sujeto a una licencia CC BY-NC-ND 4.0.

Peer reviewed