Consideraciones acerca de la «hidráulica feudal» desde la perspectiva de los molinos valencianos (siglos XIII-XVIII)

The enormous economic and social importance of water on the Mediterranean coast adds significance to the theoretical frameworks employed in explaining water uses. It is rewarding to compare monographs on mills in feudal Valencia with the proposal drawn up by Miquel Barceló (and followed by the “agrarian archaeology” group). Their statement of general approach has helped to conceptualise data, yet case studies published since 1988 suggest the need for a new appraisal of this topic. Water use in feudal societies cannot be analysed with no theoretical framework to guide it, using empiricism alone, nor can its foundations be a mere appendage of Andalusian water systems. Institutional features, such as local control based on communal cooperation, flexible operating mechanisms used to distribute water flows, consensual rules for irrigators, and the formulas employed to limit the enormous potential for conflict over water are important when examining the social strategies adopted. It is therefore imperative to launch a discussion of the challenge of building a family of models that shed light on the features of feudal water systems in the Mediterranean. Given its usefulness in attracting the interest of researchers to the critical study of constant institutional adjustments, the proposal by Arthur Maass and T.E Glick should play an important role in addressing this complicated matter.