This project will combine the history of the plant and animal life of the Mediterranean with the production of highly sought-after location-specific commodities whose trade in the Middle Ages drew together networks of producers, merchants, processors and consumers from different communities to understand the relationships between economy, environment and culture in the pre-modern world. 

Four commodities will be examined: coral, honey, citrus, and cheese, each representing a different facet of this environment, each embedded in the cultural and economic life of the Mediterranean and beyond, and each traded over long distances.

Together, ECOMEDS will tie the environmental history of the Mediterranean to its economic activity and cultural exchange, shedding light on the long-term genesis and management of the land- and seascapes we inhabit today.