The June 2025 issue of the American Historical Review features a detailed review essay discussing three recent works on the economic history of the early medieval Mediterranean region. Among the titles reviewed is the book Between Town and Monastery: Peasant Economy in the First Millennium AD by Dr Luigi Pinchetti.
The article, written by Merle Eisenberg, places Pinchetti's study in the context of new works by Chris Wickham and Ian Wood. It discusses different models for explaining economic dynamics after the end of the Western Roman Empire. Pinchetti's work is highlighted as a carefully argued case study that examines economic development in the Upper Volturno Valley while continuing central debates in research. Particular emphasis is placed on how the book contributes to a differentiated assessment of the scope for action available to farmers and the transformation of market structures. The review underlines the supra-regional relevance of the study and praises it as an important contribution to research into long-term economic processes in the Mediterranean region during the first millennium.
The full review is available at the following link: