ABSTRACT
This chapter examines castle labor mobilization in order to identify changes in the medieval political economy of Sicily. Castle building increased substantially for both Normans and those Muslim residents who wished to resist their rule. The chapter focuses on five fundamental architectural elements that serve as basic building blocks of castle foundations: placement; materials; foundations; walls; and towers. Labor costs are approximately 115,000 person-days, requiring the same number of 300 laborers to work for one-and-one-quarter years. High promontories were often selected as suitable locations for Sicilian castles because of their defensive characteristics, particularly prior to and during the Norman Period; however, such locations became less important for castle placement over time. Medieval masonry practices were derived from Roman techniques, and castle walls in the Norman period were usually exterior-faced stone blocks with rubble core-filled interiors. Salemi Castle required a total of 37,092 t of materials and over 1,076,000 person-days to construct.
