Quentovic in the context of Étaples


Quentovic in the context of Étaples

⭐ Core Definition: Quentovic

Quentovic was a Frankish emporium in the Early Middle Ages, located on the European continent close to the English Channel. The town no longer exists, but it was thought to have been situated near the mouth of the Canche River in what is today the French commune of Étaples. Archaeological discoveries by David Hill in the 1980s found that the actual location of Quentovic was east of Étaples, in what is now the commune of La Calotterie.

Quentovic was an important trading hub for the Franks and its port linked the continent to the southeastern county of Kent, in England. Quentovic was likely founded by a Neustrian king in the early 6th century. It was one of the two most prominent Frankish ports in the north (the other being Dorestad) until it was abandoned, probably in the 11th century. Merchants were drawn to this place because the number of trading posts at the time was limited. Quentovic was also where Anglo-Saxon monks would cross the English Channel when on pilgrimage to Rome. Important historical evidence on Quentovic comes from documents of taxation and through the town's minting of coinage, but otherwise there is limited physical evidence of the town's activities. Coins minted there during both the Merovingian and Carolingian dynasties have been discovered.

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Quentovic in the context of Emporium (early medieval)

An emporium (plural: emporia) was one of the trading settlements that emerged in Northwestern Europe in the 6th to the 7th centuries and persisted into the 9th century. Also known in English as wics, they were characterised by their peripheral locations, usually on the shore at the edge of a kingdom, their lack of infrastructure (containing no churches) and their short-lived nature. By 1000, the emporia had been replaced by the revival of European towns. Examples include Dorestad, Quentovic, Gipeswic, Hamwic, and Lundenwic (for which see Anglo-Saxon London) at the North Sea, as well as Haithabu, Jumne and Truso on the Baltic Sea. Their role in the economic history of Western Europe remains debated. Their most famous exponent has been the British archaeologist Richard Hodges.

View the full Wikipedia page for Emporium (early medieval)
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