The “Visigothic” slates and their archaeological contexts

Martín Viso, Iñaki ^[1]
1. [1] Universidad de Salamanca
  
  Universidad de Salamanca
  
  Salamanca, España
Localización: Journal of Medieval Iberian Studies, ISSN-e 1754-6567, ISSN 1754-6559, Vol. 5, Nº. 2, 2013, págs. 145-168
Idioma: inglés
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Resumen
- This article takes as its point of departure the notion that the so-called “Visigothic” slates are archaeological material and should be analysed from this point of view. Such an analysis allows us to observe the existence of a more extended chronology in the use of slate as writing material, beginning in the late Roman era, for which time the presence of numerical slates has been detected. The leap to the use of slate as a medium for writing private documents took place in the sixth and seventh centuries in ecclesiastical contexts located in a specific regional setting. A variety of possible functions for these slates may be detected, although all of these functions must be related to the presence of social élites.