Weeds and the Carolingians. Empire, Culture, and Nature in Frankish Europe, AD 750–900. By Paolo Squatriti

Abstract

This study is, to my knowledge, the first of its kind: an entire book devoted to historical weed studies, drawing upon documentary sources, archaeological remains, art history, botany, theology and anthropology to build up a picture of weeds—in agricultural, ecological, political and religious contexts—in Carolingian Europe, AD 750-900. The blurb begins, “Why did weeds matter in the Carolingian empire?” It may be a surprise to some readers to learn that they mattered at all, at least in a way that was especially and specifically significant to the Carolingian world. The question in fact arises, as Squatriti eloquently explains, from motifs and preoccupations apparent in the rich literary legacy of Carolingian culture. There is the unusual imagery of the weeder sovereign, for instance, and the philosophical wrangling over the position of imperfect plants in a perfect Creation. The practical business of contending with weeds in gardens and fields is also considered, and directly contrasted with the more esoteric concerns of the Carolingian “discourse community.”