F eudenhamme , Thomas
A icle
E idence o Ea ly Medie al G ain Expo s om Ba celona
o Al-Andalus
Vie eljah sch i ü Sozial- und Wi scha sgeschich e (VSWG)
P o ided in Coope a ion wi h:
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Sugges ed Ci a ion: F eudenhamme , Thomas (2025) : E idence o Ea ly Medie al G ain Expo s
om Ba celona o Al-Andalus, Vie eljah sch i ü Sozial- und Wi scha sgeschich e (VSWG), ISSN
2365-2136, F anz S eine Ve lag, S u ga , Vol. 112, Iss. 2, pp. 234-246,
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Miszelle
Vie eljah sch i ü Sozial- und Wi scha sgeschich e 112, 2025/2, 234–246
DOI 10.25162/ swg-2025-0009, (CC-BY 4.0)
Thomas F eudenhamme
E idence o Ea ly Medie al G ain Expo s om
Ba celona o Al-Andalus
Abs ac : The unexpec ed loss o a la ge ca go o ba ley aken on loan in Ba celona in 1021
sugges s ha he me chandise was in ended o expo . The Jewish me chan conce ned,
named Bene enis i, may ha e los he ca go as a esul o a shipw eck. An A ab sou ce om
he 11 h cen u y epo s a ma i ime connec ion be ween he Muslim ci y o To osa, Ba celona
and Na bonne, which was used by Jewish ade s. W ecks o Andalusian me chan ships o he
P o ençal coas show ha his connec ion al eady exis ed a he u n o he 10 h cen u y. Jewish
ade s also appea o ha e a elled on hese ships. The con ac s be ween he Jewish commu-
ni ies o he coas al owns in ques ion may ha e been used o ade ansac ions. The me chan
Bene enis i could ha e expo ed his ba ley o To osa ia his ade ou e.
Keywo ds: 9 h o 11 h cen u ies, Ba celona, Al-Andalus, To osa, Al-Bak ī, Jewish me chan s,
g ain ade
JEL Codes: N54, N74, N94
1. In oduc ion
In his majo s udy on 10 h and 11 h-cen u y Ca alonia, he F ench his o ian Pie e Bonnassie makes
e e ence o a Jewish me chan in Ba celona called Bene enis i. In 1021, his me chan , whose He-
b ew name was Na han, bo owed a ca go o ba ley o such a la ge olume ha Bonnassie comes o
he conclusion ha he wan ed o esell he g ain.1 Bonnassie also su mises ha Bene enis i wan ed
o pu he ba ley on he local ma ke in Ba celona and dismisses he possibili y ha he planned o
ship i o he Andalusi own o To osa as an “un ounded hypo hesis.”2
The aim o his s udy is o examine whe he he hypo hesis o g ain expo s o Al-Andalus can
be subs an ia ed. Howe e , he La in documen s om Ca alonia a e no e y help ul in his ma e .
Fo he 10 h and 11 h cen u ies, i is mainly land pu chases and dona ions ha a e eco ded, doc-
umen s ha a e mos ly silen on ade. A leas some deeds o pledge and wills men ion mo able
goods, including g ain in measu ed quan i ies. In mos cases, g ain was measu ed in ka icios, a uni
o capaci y whose A abic o igin p o ides a i s indica ion o ade wi h Al-Andalus.
1 Bonnassie (1975/76), p. 431: ‘Na han emp un e pou e end e’.
2 Ibid, p. 433: ‘E peu impo e, dans ces condi ions, de sa oi si le Jui Ben is Na han e end au pe i peuple
ba celonais le blé qu’il achê e à c édi ou s’il le cha ge (e on e ien ici aux hypo hèses g a ui es) su les
galè es de To osa’.
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Howe e , we ha e o eso o “ex e nal” sou ces in o de o ind ou mo e ac s. A well-known
scandalous s o y handed down by he Andalusi geog aphe and his o ian Al-Bak ī gi es us a i s
insigh in o a ma i ime connec ion be ween Al-Andalus and he F ankish Kingdom ha exis ed
in he 11 h cen u y. Al eady in he 10 h cen u y, ano he Andalusi au ho named Al-Rāzī p aises
he ha bou o To osa o i s p oximi y o he me chan s o “F ancia”. Fu he e idence is p o-
ided by he w ecks o se e al Andalusi me chan ships ound o he coas o P o ence. All hese
sou ces con i m he exis ence o an es ablished ma i ime ade ou e ha was also used by Jewish
me chan s. Finally, we ha e o look a he ci cula ion o Andalusian gold coins (“mancuses”) in
Ca alonia ha also sugges s egula ade be ween he wo coun ies.
2. A ca go o ba ley and a Jewish me chan
Le us e u n o Na han Bene enis i. On 21 Janua y 1021 he pledged wo es a es o a woman named
E menga dis as secu i y o a ca go o 38 ka icios o ba ley ha he had bo owed om he .3 As was
cus oma y wi h g ain loans a he ime, he da e o epaymen was he upcoming eas o S Felix
o Gi ona. This eas was celeb a ed on 1 Augus and ma ked he end o he g ain ha es . I was
assumed ha people who had bo owed g ain ou o ma e ial need would be able o epay he deb
om he new ha es .4 Bene enis i, o his pa , could no epay his loan on ime, whe eupon E -
menga dis g an ed him an ex ension o a whole yea . E en by he new deadline, Bene enis i was
unable o epay 35 o he 38 ka icios o ba ley he had bo owed. On 12 Augus 1022, a e consul a ion
wi h a commission o h ee judges and se e al assesso s, E menga dis inally sold he la ge o he
wo pledged p ope ies o he p ice o eigh een ounces o gold (equal o 126 gold mancuses).5
Ba ley was he mos widely cul i a ed ce eal in Ca alonia in he 10 h and 11 h cen u ies, well
ahead o whea . Ba ley b ead was a s aple ood o he common people and was also ed o
li es ock.6 How much would 38 ka icios o ba ley be in oday’s uni s o measu emen ? The name
ka icio seems o ha e been adop ed om he A abic g ain measu e qa īz, which was used in
Có doba in he 10 h cen u y. The Spanish A abis Vall é Be mejo calcula es he olume o he
qa īz o Có doba o be 33 li es based on in o ma ion om con empo a y A ab au ho s. I we
assume ha he measu e i sel was adop ed along wi h i s name, 38 ka icios o ba ley would co -
espond o 12.5 hl o 0.75 onnes.7 Pie e Bonnassie is ins ead guided by he adi ional measu e
3 ACB, 334: Ego Bene enis i eb eo impigno a o sum ibi E menia ds emina. Mani es um es enim quia debi o
sum ibi ka icios XXXVIII de o deo ni ido pu ga o a mensu a de uo domo unde u mihi p es as i.
4 Fo he mechanisms o c edi see Bonnassie (1975/76), pp. 402–404.
5 ACB, 353: Ad eni mihi p e a a e a pe pac um pigno is quod mihi eci exinde e de al e o alode […] Ben-
e enis i heb eus qui alio nomine dici u Na han, p op e ka icios XXXV de o deo. […] Ego e o expec a i eum
ul a placi um empo is quemadmodum lex iube , a que amplius. […] Quap op e , insis en ibus iudicibus Vi-
ano e Bono ilio Ma cho e Gi a do Au u io aliisque idoneis i is […]. The second p ope y pledged in 1021
is no a ec ed by his deed; p esumably Bene enis i was able o epay he co esponding h ee ka icios o
ba ley.
6 Bonnassie (1975/76), pp. 94, 302 ., 471.
7 Vall é Be mejo (1977), pp. 89 . and 115; 28 li es is gi en by Vall é as an al e na i e alue.
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ca ís used in u al Ca alonia and es ima es he olume o he ka icio o Ba celona a 2 hl, he 38
ka icios would he e o e be 75 hl o a ound 4.5 onnes o ba ley.8
In o de o ge an idea o he size o Bene enis i’s ba ley loan, ega dless o i s ac ual olume, we can
compa e his 38 ka icios wi h he smalles amoun o ba ley loans eco ded in he 11 h cen u y. On 21
Ma ch 1018, he ma ied couple Ba on and Blancucia bo owed wo sex a ios o ba ley and pledged
hei a m in he dis ic o Olè dola in he sou h o he coun y o Ba celona in e u n.9 Appa en ly,
hey had o make do wi h his amoun o g ain o he en i e ou mon hs un il 1 Augus , hoping o
be able o epay he loan om he new ha es .10 Two sex a ios o ba ley equalled one-six h o a ka -
icio and he e o e made up he 228 h pa o he 38 ka icios ha Bene enis i had bo owed. Bene e-
nis i hus could ha e supplied o e h ee hund ed people wi h ba ley o he whole six-mon h e m
o his loan. A loan o his size was ob iously no in ended o he deb o ’s own use, bu a he o
comme cial pu poses.11
Bene enis i p obably expec ed o sell he 38 ka icios o ba ley he had bo owed wi hin six
mon hs a a p ice ha would ha e b ough him a p o i a e deduc ing he epaymen o E men-
ga dis. Howe e , he was unable o sell mos o he g ain e en a e he gene ous ex ension om he
lende . Why did his deal ail? On he local ma ke o Ba celona, he e mus ha e been a cons an
demand o ba ley om he ownspeople. I is he e o e unlikely ha Bene enis i has been le si -
ing on his ba ley he e. Wha else would he ha e done wi h his loan? Had he planned o expo he
g ain by sea? Unde his assump ion, an o dina y shipw eck could ha e led o he loss o he ca go
and he subsequen cancella ion o he paymen .
Inciden ally, Bene enis i does no appea o ha e bo owed g ain jus his one ime. Be ween
29 Augus and 5 Sep embe 1022, ha is sho ly a e he loss o his es a e om he p e ious pledge,
he pledged ano he es a e om his possession, his ime o a ce ain Guadallus, he adminis a o
o he household (mense p eposi us) o he Coun o Ba celona.12 We can assume ha he loan was a
ca go o g ain his ime as well. Bene enis i had e iden ly no been discou aged om his business
model by he p e ious de aul and con inued o coun on good business in he g ain ade.
8 Bonnassie (1975/76), p. 431 gi es a alue o 180 o 200 li es o he ka icio ‘sous ou e ése e’; Feliu Mon -
o (2001), p. 134 calcula es 231.7 li es o one ka icio.
9 Fo he smalle uni s see Beni o (2009), p. 58: 1 ka icio = 12 sex a ios = 24 eminas = 96 qua e as.
10 ACA, 127. In a simila case da ed 30 No embe 1027, a woman named Gua enga dis pledged a plo o land
o he son Gui a dus o 3 eminas and 3 qua e as o ba ley. This amoun , 1⅞ sex a ios, had o las Gua en-
ga dis eigh mon hs: ACA, 182.
11 Bonnassie (1975/76), p. 431; Beni o i Monclús (2009), p. 56. Bene enis i’s 38 ka icios o ba ley ep esen
by a he la ges g ain loan eco ded. Subs an ial loans we e also aken ou o co e special needs. On 26
Sep embe 1016, o example, he ma ied couple Ma eso and E me ui e pledged 2 modia as (app ox. 1
ha) o ineya ds in exchange o 8 ka icios o ba ley (ACB, 259). This da e coincides wi h he g ape ha es .
Appa en ly, he deb o s we e wineg owe s who bo owed ba ley o eed he ha es e s, which hey could
epay om he p oceeds o he new wine by 1 Augus o he ollowing yea . Coun Be engue Ramon I also
bo owed 6 ka icios o ba ley on 31 Decembe 1021, p esumably o supply he coun ’s cou (ACB, 340). The
ew whea loans ha ha e su i ed a e all less han 1 ka icio.
12 ACB, 356 (29/08/1022): A plo a Mon juic bo de s on e a e inea Bene enis i heb ei o he sou h. ACB,
357 (05/09/1022): The same p ope y bo de s o he sou h on alode Bene enis i heb ei quod pigno e ene
Guadallus mense p eposi us.
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We know he names o abou a dozen people om he Jewish communi y in Ba celona a ound
he yea 1000. The Jews owned land in he neighbou hood o he ci y, which hey we e ee o sell o
bequea h. Bene enis i also owned o he es a es and ineya ds in addi ion o he mo gaged p op-
e ies.13 We know o wo cases o money lending by a Jew om he pe iod in ques ion, bu Ch is-
ians, no leas cle gymen, also len money in e u n o pledges.14 The only men ion o a p o ession
conce ns a Jewish goldsmi h named Bonnom (Bononomen eb eo au i ice), who min ed gold coins
(“mancuses”) modelled on Andalusi dina s on behal o he Coun o Ba celona be ween 1018 and
1023.15 Bonnom will ce ainly ha e known his con empo a y Bene enis i, bu he e is no e idence
o any close ela ionship be ween he wo men. We ha e no exac knowledge o he li e da es o
he g ain me chan . In 1029, Ba celona (sic!), he widow o a Bene enis i, oge he wi h he sons
Bononomine and Dedena us, sold a plo o land in he cen e o he ci y o Ba celona, close o he
uins o he ancien Roman emple called “ he Mi acle” (ad ipso mi aculo).16 Howe e , we do no
know whe he his Bene enis i was iden ical wi h he g ain me chan o he same name.17
3. How o abduc a coun ess
Can he assump ion ha g ain was expo ed om Ba celona by sea in he ea ly Middle Ages be
con i med by o he sou ces? Wha ole did Jewish me chan s play in his con ex ? To which coun-
y was he g ain expo ed? The Andalusi geog aphe Abū ‘Ubaid Al-Bak ī (1014–1094) gi es us a
aluable clue. In his “Book o Ways and Empi es”, comple ed in 1068, he epo s on he abduc ion o
Coun ess Almodis o Toulouse by Coun Ramon Be engue I o Ba celona.18 In 1054/55, he la e
had s opped o a a magna e’s house in Na bonne on a pilg image o Je usalem. Du ing his s ay,
he and he wi e o his hos ell in lo e wi h each o he . On his e u n jou ney, Coun Ramon again
s opped o e a Na bonne and a anged a use wi h Almodis o help he escape om he husband
and come o Ba celona. Li e ally, Al-Bak ī hen s a es: “When he [Ramon Be engue ] e u ned o
Ba celona, he sen he [Almodis] a g oup o Jews o his pu pose; he ule o To osa, p i y o he
ma e , had hem [ he Jews] b ough o Na bonne on galleys.”19
Howe e , he use was unsuccess ul. The husband, Coun Pons II o Toulouse, became sus-
picious and had his wi e locked up as a p ecau ion. Ne e heless, Almodis e en ually managed
o escape o Ba celona hanks o he media ion o ela i es. The e, she ma ied Ramon Be engu-
e , who disowned his wi e Blanca in u n. Al-Bak ī hen ells he subsequen s o y o he coun ’s
13 Romano (1991).
14 Ibid, p. 325 .; Bonnassie (1975/76), pp. 400–402.
15 Bonnassie (1975/76), pp. 380–382; Miles (1962).
16 SBB, 900: Ego Ba celona eb ea, una cum ilii mei Bononomine e Dedena us eb eis. […] Ad eni nobis pe
ocem Be enis i eb eo i um, qui es condam, ad me sup a nomina a Ba celona eb ea, e ad nos p edic i ilii pe
ocem pa is nos i condam. In he Heb ew pa o he documen , he sons a e called Nahman and Ne anel.
17 Ano he possibili y is o e ed by ACB, 1286, a documen om 1075, in which a Hab am eb eo ilium condam
Bene enis i eb eo is men ioned. This Bene enis i, a he o Hab am, was p obably no iden ical wi h he
a he o Nahman and Ne anel o he same name. One o hem could ha e been ou g ain me chan .
18 Lé i-P o ençal (1938), pp. 53–55 (F ench ansla ion) and 42 . (o iginal A abic ex ).
19 Ibid, p. 43: a-lammā wasal ila ba šilūna a sal ilai-hā qauman min al-yahūd ī ḏalik, wa daḫal sāhib a ūša
ī-l-am a-ausal-hum i-l-šawānī ila na būna. T ansla ion in o English by he au ho .
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excommunica ion by he Pope and he ci cums ances o his la e ehabili a ion, bu his is o no
u he in e es o us.20
The episode epo ed by Al-Bak ī in his passage ook place du ing he au ho ’s li e ime, a ew
yea s be o e his book was w i en. How did he Andalusi geog aphe lea n abou e en s ha ook
place in Ba celona, Na bonne and Rome, places ha belonged o he o eign Ch is ian wo ld? A
one poin in his wo k, Al-Bak ī quo es om he eco ds o Ib āhīm ibn Ya‘qūb Al-Ta ūšī, a Jew
om To osa who had a elled h ough Cen al Eu ope a ound he middle o he 10 h cen u y.21
I is likely ha Al-Bak ī also ecei ed he news o he abduc ion o Almodis, his ime by wo d o
mou h, om he Jews o he Andalusi ha bou own o To osa, who in u n we e in o med by he
Jews o Ba celona. This chain o adi ion ac oss he Ch is ian-Muslim cul u al bo de also p o ides
e idence o he close con ac be ween he Jewish communi ies o Ba celona and To osa.
While he Jews o To osa and Ba celona co-ope a ed in he a emp ed abduc ion o Coun ess
Almodis, he Emi o To osa had o ake o e he anspo o he “g oup o Jews” o Na bonne,
as Ba celona ob iously did no ye ha e i s own ships a he ime.22 Al-Bak ī calls he ships om
To osa “galleys”. The A abic e m he uses, šawānī (singula : šīnī o šānī), e e s o a ship p opelled
by one hund ed oa smen, which was used o mili a y pu poses bu also in ma i ime ade, as some
documen s om he Geniza o Cai o con i m.23
4. Galleys om To osa
In 1053/54, he Emi o To osa sen galleys o Na bonne a he eques o he Coun o Ba celona.
Appa en ly, his no he n Medi e anean ou e was well known in Al-Andalus om egula ade
oyages. As ea ly as he 9 h and 10 h cen u ies, Andalusi ading ships sailed as a as he coas s o
P o ence, as e idenced by ou shipw ecks he e.24 Jewish ade s a e also likely o ha e a elled on
hese ships. A clay jug was ound in one o he w ecks, on which he pe sonal name Sa‘ad, common
in bo h A abic and Heb ew, was ca ed nex o a S a o Da id.25 Du ing hei a els, hese me -
chan s we e able o amilia ise hemsel es wi h he condi ions in he ha bou ci ies hey isi ed and
cul i a e hei ela ionships wi h he local Jewish communi ies. Agains his backg ound, i seems
plausible ha Coun Ramon Be engue commissioned a g oup o Jewish me chan s om To osa
wi h he ope a ion in Na bonne.26 He knew hese me chan s well om hei isi s o Ba celona and
us ed hem o ca y ou a di icul mission due o hei knowledge o he a ious coun ies. Fo
hei pa , he me chan s om To osa had good ela ions wi h he Jewish communi y in Ba celona,
20 Au ell (1995), pp. 260–262 also poin s ou ha Na bonne was no he sea o he coun s o Toulouse, bu i
was pa o his domain; see also Ca a au (2017), pp. 108 .
21 Lé i-P o ençal (1938), pp. XXIV and 206; Ducène (2018), pp. 163–167.
22 Ca a au (2017), p. 109, i s e idence o own ships in Ba celona om he yea 1079.
23 Lé i-P o ençal (1953), pp. 322 .; Gil (2008), pp. 253, 258, 263. In con as , Li ola Delgado (1993), pp. 302
and 311 .
24 Wickham (2023), pp. 458 .; Richa é-Man edi (2023), pp. 36 . See also igu e 1 below.
25 Jonche ay (2007), p. 151, ig. 19; o he jugs bea ypical Islamic names such as Muhammad, Ahmad and
Hassan.
26 Bonnassie (1975/76), pp. 416 .
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wi h whom hey may also ha e aded.27 The g ain me chan Bene enis i hus may ha e used his
ade ou e o expo his ba ley o To osa on he emi ’s galleys.
The ci y o To osa was he no he nmos Andalusi ha bou ci y on he Medi e anean coas
and an impo an na al base o he Umayyad Calipha e. A la ge shipya d was buil he e in 945.28
As a esul o he Andalusi ci il wa ( i na) e up ed in 1009, which ul ima ely led o he collapse
o he calipha e, To osa became he capi al o an independen emi a e. Due o i s loca ion a he
mou h o he Ri e Eb o, i was well connec ed o he in e io o he coun y. This ga e he ha bou
o To osa an impo an ole in in e na ional ade. The Andalusi his o ian and geog aphe Aḥmad
al-Rāzī no ed in his wo k “News o he Kings o Al-Andalus” ha me chan s came o he ha bou
o To osa “ om all pa s o he wo ld” and speci ically emphasised i s p oximi y o he F ankish
Kingdom.29 Du ing he 10 h cen u y, Ba celona was s ill pa o he F ankish Kingdom o I anğ as
i was called in A abic. We can he e o e ake he message om Al-Rāzī as good e idence ha he e
had al eady exis ed a egula ade be ween Ba celona and To osa a he ime.
Figu e 1: The Ca alan and sou he n F ench coas .
So wa e p o ided by S epMap GmbH, Be lin.
Is i e en plausible o assume ha g ain was expo ed om Ba celona o To osa in he 10 h and
11 h cen u ies? Al-Andalus gene ally seems o ha e p oduced su icien g ain, p ima ily whea and
ba ley, o i s own consump ion. Howe e , pe iods o d ough led o empo a y supply sho ages.30
Consequen ly, he geog aphe Ibn Ḥawqal epo s he impo o g ain om No h A ica (O an)
o Al-Andalus in he middle o he 10 h cen u y. Oli ia Remie Cons able su mises ha i may ha e
been mo e economical o he coas al egions o Al-Andalus o impo g ain by sea om No h
27 Ash o (1979), p. 287.
28 Li ola Delgado (1993), pp. 325 .
29 Rome a Manzana es (2024), p. 130: E To osa ha muy buen é mino e buen pue o e los me cado es ienen ý
de oda la pa e de la ie a, e es ce ca de los de F ancia. Aḥmad al-Rāzī li ed in he 10 h cen u y, bu his wo k
has only su i ed in a Cas ilian e sion om he 14 h cen u y.
30 Lé i-P o ençal (1953), pp. 271 .; Vall é Be mejo (1982), pp. 279–282.
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A ica han ia poo oads om he in e io .31 This could also ha e applied o he ela i ely sho sea
ou e om Ba celona o To osa, possibly in compe i ion wi h i e anspo on he Eb o. Al-Rāzī
also epo s on an ex ensi e sa on cul i a ion in To osa.32 This monocul u e could ha e caused a
s uc u al g ain de ici in he egion, which would ha e equi ed a co esponding impo . Al-Bak ī,
o his pa , men ions ha he Ba celona egion p oduced a lo o whea and o he ce eals as well
as honey.33
5. G ain p oduce s and measu es o capaci y
Who was his E menga dis who p o ided he Jew Bene enis i wi h 38 ka icios o ba ley in 1021?
In any case, she mus ha e been a p oduce o la ge quan i ies o g ain. E menga dis, he eldes
daugh e o he la e Coun Bo ell II, who had been ma ied o Viscoun Ge ibe o Ba celona,
would ul il his equi emen .34 This E menga dis made he will on 17 Oc obe 1029, in which she
bequea hed la ge quan i ies o whea and ba ley. In addi ion o some smalle legacies measu ed in
ka icios, she bequea hed all he “g ain ha is in Cas ellde els” o he monas e y o San Cuga del
Vallès, as well as “ he g ain ha is in Po o” o he chu ch o San a Ma ia de Po o.35 “Po o” was he
name o he coas al a ea sou hwes o Ba celona, whe e a la ge lagoon wi h an opening o he sea
(s agno de Po o) p obably se ed as a ha bou in he ea ly Middle Ages.36 Some o E menga dis`
g ain ields we e he e o e in a e y a ou able loca ion i he ha es was des ined o expo by
sea.37 As E menga dis used he own ka icio measu e and knew he cu en g ain p ices, she was
ob iously used o selling he c ops.38
As we ha e seen, Bene enis i also owned se e al es a es in he neighbou hood o Ba celona,
al hough p obably no as many as his supplie E menga dis. In his deed o pledge o 1021, he s a es
ha he had inhe i ed one o he wo plo s conce ned om his pa en s and bough he o he .39 As a
p o essional g ain ade , he would ha e bough new es a es as an in es men . A he same ime, he
was able o use he land as pledge in o de o acqui e new g ain o his ade om local p oduce s
such as E menga dis.
Le us ha e a look now a he measu es o capaci y used in Ba celona du ing he 10 h and 11 h
cen u ies. The “A abic” ka icio was mos likely i s in oduced in Ca alonia in he wake o he Mus-
lim conques in he 8 h cen u y.40 As a esul o he subsequen F ankish conques a he u n o he
9 h cen u y, i was la gely eplaced by he Ca olingian modio. Howe e , in he Coun y o Ba celona,
wi h he egions Ma esme, Vallès and Penedès, he ka icio was e ained, o e-in oduced a a la e
31 Cons able (1994), pp. 162 .
32 Rome a Manzana es (2024), p. 130: o osí mucho aça án e muy bueno.
33 Lé i-P o ençal (1938), pp. 54 (F ench), 42 (A abic).
34 Bonnassie (1975/76), pp. 626 .; Ruiz-Domènec (2006), pp. 80 .
35 ACB, 437: ipso blado qui es ad Sanc a Ma ia de Kas el de Fels […]e de ipso blado qui es in Po o.
36 Banks (1984).
37 Cas ellde els is jus 10 kilome e s u he wes along he coas .
38 ACB, 334: ka icios XXXVIII de o deo ni ido pu ga o a mensu a de uo domo. ACB, 353: quia hodie po es
enunda i qua a una o dei mancusum unum.
39 ACB, 334: Ad eni mihi pe geni o es meos el pe compa acione.
40 Lo enzo/Pas o (2013), pp. 61 .: ‘con los ibu os enían las medidas’.
© by he au ho (s), published by F anz S eine Ve lag, S u ga 2025
241Miszellen
s age, as illus a ed in igu e 2 below.41 This dis ibu ion o he ka icio exclusi ely in an a ea close o
he ha bou ci y o Ba celona could be an indica ion o i s use in he expo ade wi h Al-Anda-
lus. Unde his assump ion, he ka icio would ha e been e ained o e-in oduced since he g ain
shipped o Al-Andalus had o be measu ed in A abic qa īz. Due o he high cos o land anspo ,
pa icipa ion in his business would ha e been limi ed o p oduce s in he icini y o he ha bou
o Ba celona and adjacen a eas. Table 1 below lis s he documen s ha p o e he use o he ka icio
in he espec i e places up o he yea 1000. Mos o hem a e wills o sales ollowing unpaid loans.
The ka icios we e used o measu e g ain and wine.
Figu e 2: The men ions o he measu e ka icio in Ca alonia up o he yea 1000. Ba celona has 9
men ions. Ka izada is an a ea measu e de i ed om ka icio. In he es o he coun y, he Ca olin-
gian measu e modio was used.
So wa e p o ided by S epMap GmbH, Be lin.
41 As an appa en excep ion om he ule, he will o Inguil ada, a weal hy landowne om Vol egà no h
o Vic, da ed 24 Oc obe 981 (CC 4, 1354) con ains bo h capaci y measu es: she bequea hed he se an s
and a local p ies one modio o wine each. The nunne y o S Pe e o Ba celona (San Pe e de les Puelles),
on he o he hand, ecei ed i e ka icios o wine. Inguil ada ob iously ook in o accoun he ac ha wine
in Ba celona was no measu ed in modios– as i was a he home in Vol egà– bu in ka icios. The only
o he men ion o he ka icio in he in e io o Ca alonia is in he no h-wes e n coun y o Ribago ça in he
dis ic o Aule a he e y ea ly da e o 867.
© by he au ho (s), published by F anz S eine Ve lag, S u ga 2025
