Introduction: Movement and Mobility in the Medieval Mediterranean: Changing Perspectives from Late Antiquity to the Long-Twelfth Century

This article introduces the themed section »Movement and Mobility in Medieval Mediterranean: Changing Perspectives from Late Antiquity to Long-Twelfth Century«. series of articles engages with ongoing debates historiography on role movement mobility socio-political frameworks medieval societies throughout Mediterranean world Iberia Near East. The papers introduced here consider a wide range contacts exchange diplomatic encounters late antique Byzantium via (religious) ideas spiritual objects Italy East fundamental capital, slaves goods. Rather than reveal static, ossified self-contained landscapes, this will argue that there were not only cross-cultural, religious political but also economic social connections fused into heterogenous contact zone cultures, products. Using broader framework as border region between across longue durée represented by period until end twelfth century allows contributions demonstrate movement, stasis after Rome expansion horizons rather their restriction.