Driving forces and variability in the exploitation of a high-altitude landscape from the Neolithic to Medieval Periods in the southern French Alps

TY - CHAP

T1 - Driving forces and variability in the exploitation of a high-altitude landscape from the Neolithic to Medieval Periods in the southern French Alps

AU - Walsh, Kevin James

AU - Mocci, F.

PY - 2016/9

Y1 - 2016/9

N2 - The aim of this paper is to assess the development of summer-activities in the high-altitude zone of the Southern French Alps between the Neolithic and Middle Ages. During these periods, there was enormous variety in the nature of high-altitude activity in these valleys. The Bronze Age witnessed the establishment of the first stone-built pastoral structures at 2200m and above. This marked an important change in the engagement with this landscape, with high-altitude summer pasturing emerging as a new activity. The Iron Age and Roman Period are characterised by a dearth of archaeological structures, but continued palaeoecological signals for pastoral (and possibly mining) activity. The Medieval periods saw a substantial increase in activity; a combination of pastoralism and mining, with some large high altitude settlements created which imply the wholesale summer movement of communities from valley-bottom to the high altitude zones.

AB - The aim of this paper is to assess the development of summer-activities in the high-altitude zone of the Southern French Alps between the Neolithic and Middle Ages. During these periods, there was enormous variety in the nature of high-altitude activity in these valleys. The Bronze Age witnessed the establishment of the first stone-built pastoral structures at 2200m and above. This marked an important change in the engagement with this landscape, with high-altitude summer pasturing emerging as a new activity. The Iron Age and Roman Period are characterised by a dearth of archaeological structures, but continued palaeoecological signals for pastoral (and possibly mining) activity. The Medieval periods saw a substantial increase in activity; a combination of pastoralism and mining, with some large high altitude settlements created which imply the wholesale summer movement of communities from valley-bottom to the high altitude zones.

KW - Alps

KW - Pastoralism

KW - FRANCE

KW - Neolithic herding

KW - Bronze Age

UR - https://www.equinoxpub.com/home/summer-farms/

M3 - Chapter

SN - 9780906090558

VL - 16

T3 - Sheffield Archaeological Monographs

SP - 183

EP - 201

BT - Summer farms

A2 - Collis, John R.

A2 - Nicolis, Franco

A2 - Pearce, Mark

PB - J.R. Collis Publications

CY - Sheffield

ER -