Sicily in the eighth and ninth centuries AD: a case of persisting economic complexity?

The archaeology of late antique and early medieval Italy has attracted considerable attention over the last three decades with many projects designed to shed light on the transformation of urban and rural landscapes and on patterns of economic change. In Sicily, despite the island's central position at the crossroads of Mediterranean connections and its significance as an ideal litmus-test for analysing settlement and economic change in the Mediterranean context, the early medieval period has been neglected until recently. Nevertheless, new research over the past decade has begun to focus on this period, creating a significant body of data suitable for a regional study. By combining this data with the results of the archaeological project in the territory of Philosophiana-Sofiana in central Sicily, this paper aims to offer an interpretative model of the region on the eve of the Muslim conquest and to emphasise its persistent economic vibrancy during the last two centuries of Byzantine rule. Based on the combined study of settlements, coinage, and pottery production and trade it will propose a thorough reappraisal of the island's economy and suggest that Sicily was an example of successful economic adaptation to early medieval change.