Feeding the Early Medieval Venetians: Orchards, Fish Farms, and Cattle among the Water

Abstract

Venice’s appearance in the 8^th century casted a sudden shaft of light on the movement of goods, ideas and people in the center Mediterranean, connecting east and west, north and south. 

We know how Venice built the foundations of its future authority as a maritime economic superpower.  Venice was extremely active in trade, provisioning the western markets with luxurious goods from the south/east Mediterranean. It had a large commercial and military fleet and it was more than dynamic in the slave trade, mostly supplying the Arab world with western workforces.

We are aware of the increasing number of people (workers, slaves, traders) inhabiting the tiny islands on the lagoon. But, how can we assess the extent to which early Venetians conceptualized their ecological impact, and what were the social implications for maintaining exploitative practices? Given the geographic constraints of the lagoon, what social, political and logistical mechanisms did the Venetians employ to secure their food  (fauna, plants and aquaculture) supply?