Lo scavo del Castello di Zagonara (Lugo, Ravenna): dal popolamento sparso altomedievale al borgo abbandonato

The study of the phenomenon of “Incastellamento” has been central to historical and archaeological research for decades. However, archaeological investigations have primarily focused on the early stages of this process, those of the Early and High Middle Ages (9th-11th centuries CE), while almost neglecting its later phases, the Late Middle Ages (12th-15th centuries CE). During this period, the history of castles became deeply intertwined with that of other settlements, such as villages and new-towns. In this context, in this article we present the results of the excavation of the Zagonara castle (2017-2024), a fortified settlement founded exnovo in the Romagna plain (northern Italy). The excavation has shed new light on the processes of landscape transformation occurring in the countryside between Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, tracing the history of local rural settlement, which shifted from scattered to nucleated during the High Middle Ages. This process culminated in the affirmation of fortified villages, such as Zagonara, which was completely abandoned during the early 15th century.