The town of Montblanc, located 80 km southwest of Barcelona, Spain, traces its roots to a 2nd century A.D. Roman settlement. From the Middle Ages onward, it served as a focal point funnelling local agricultural goods east to Barcelona and beyond. Because of its long history, and excellent documentary records, located both in Montblanc itself and in other Spanish archives, it is possible to reconstruct a detailed history of the town and observe how it was affected by such major events as the change from a feudal to a capitalist form of economy and social organization. One can also determine the spatial correlates of such changes through the architectural history of the town itself and individual houses within it. For her doctoral dissertation research, Ms. Patricia Mangan will trace this interaction from the 14th century to the present. She will examine census data from Montblanc, regional maps which provide evidence on the spatial relationship of Montblanc to neighboring villages, towns and cities, maps of Montblanc's town plan, extant architectural histories of specific structures and other data such as notarial records of births, marriages, wills, etc. These will not only provide a detailed picture of one limited area within Spain but also yield information of broader significance. Historians and anthropologists cannot agree on what factors underlie societal reorganization and change and manyhave focussed on the transformation from feudalism to capitalism because of the major and basic change this entailed. Ms. Mangan's research should provide new insight into this issue. Because this work will examine the spatial correlates of social change, the results will be of value to a wide range of archaeologists. Excavation often yields spatial information and the problem then is to use this to reconstruct other aspects of society. Ms. Mangan's research examines just this relationship.
