ABSTRACT
Genoa is famous among the main Mediterranean cities for its very rich archives, particularly for the notarial cartularies and files preserved there. In fact, the Genoese Archivio notarile contains the most ancient notarial cartulary of the medieval world, drawn up by Giovanni Scriba in the years 1154–1164; a dozen registers of the twelfth century, all published; about 150 for the thirteenth century; and about 500 cartularies and files for the last two centuries of the Middle Ages. In the bulk of the notarial deeds, those drawn up in the Oriental colonies are particularly interesting, for they are the main source for the history of the Genoese expansion, the trade between West and East, and everyday life in settlements situated on the borders of the Muslim and Mongol worlds. The treaty of February 1383 had granted to Genoa not only the city of Famagusta, but also a territory two leagues around it.
