Terra fertilis, terra deserta. Exploitation of marginal zones

<jats:p>Terra fertilis, terra deserta. Exploitation of marginal zones is a collection of articles devoted to the issue of the exploitation of marginal zones — areas characterised by particularly challenging environmental conditions — in the long-term settlement, economic, and social processes of Northern and Central Europe from the Roman period to the Middle Ages. The point of departure for the reflections presented in this volume is an examination of the role these areas played in the past and of the changing significance attributed to them depending on cultural, political, demographic, and climatic conditions.</jats:p>