Projects
UPLanD – Understanding the evolution of Pastoral Landscape in the Dolomiti park (Italian Alps)
- Project Leader: Francesco Carrer (Newcastle University, UK) and Fabio Cavulli (University of Naples Federico II)
- Sponsors: Parco Nazionale delle Dolomiti Bellunesi (Italy)
Over the past 4 years the UPLanD project has revolutionized our knowledge of the history of the highlands in the Belluno Dolomites Park. Born from preliminary investigations of 2014 within the Busa delle Vette, promoted by the association ARCA, by Piergiorgio Cesco Frare and the Park Authority, the UPLanD project used different research methods:
- Archaeological survey, which covered the entire Busa delle Vette. Several sites (from dry to scatters of archaeological materials) were identified, positioned by differential GPS and photographically documented. There survey also included the use of digital technologies (GIS) for processing spatial data and remote sensing through historical aerial photos.
- Stratigraphic excavation, mainly focused on an area adjacent to the dry stone enclosures investigated in 2014. Identified during the survey, the site was excavated in three consecutive campaigns (2016-2018). Excavations have unveiled a complex dry structure, rich in archaeological material, dated between the end of the Roman era and the beginning of the medieval period. A possible pastoral structure, but quite unique in the Eastern Alps.
- Geophysical prospections, for the non-invasive analysis of the area surrounding the site. This analysis, conducted with gradiometer, proton magnetometer and georadar, led to the identification of some possible anomalies, which could correspond to other archaeological sites. The use of geophysical methods also enabled us to identify the limits of the aforementioned site, significantly facilitating the excavation.
- Historical and ethnographic research, coordinated by Piergiorgio Cesco Frare. Through archival resources and interviews , the recent history of Busa delle Vette was investigated.
- The analysis of arefacts and ecofacts found during the survey and, above all, during the excavation, have provided crucial data to understand the use of the territory, the mobility strategies and the mountain economy in the Feltre area, between prehistoric times and the Late Middle Ages.
The integration of these methods has contributed to documenting an archaeological landscape of huge interest. If human attendance seems to start already in prehistoric times (signifant amount of flint debitage was found in the area), the site investigated stratigraphically and the enclosures investigated in 2014 confirm an intense and continuous occupation between Roman and medieval times, probably associated with the development of a specialized Alpine economy, in turn connected with the economic evolution of municipium of Feltria first and then of the Duchy of Ceneda. Archival investigations ed ethnography confirm that pastoral activities within the Busa evolved without solution of continuity up to the modern era, and reveal the boundary function of the area during the Venetian domination. The Busa delle Vette is a perfect case study perfect for investigating human adaptation to the highlands, and how the highlands have been transformed by the human impact.
- These exciting results have been disseminated through articles and conferences, and will lead to the production of specialized scientific publications. Despite the success of this pioneering project, some questions still remain open about the origin and dynamics of human occupation in the Dolomites Park Belluno:
- Prehistoric occupation has been documented through the discovery of sporadic flint tols, but no prehistoric sites have been identified. The presence of prehistoric shepherds in the Busa delle Vette is very probable, given the proximity to the 'covoli' (rockshelters) of Valle di Lamen, occupied in different periods, including the Neolithic and the early medieval period. The early medieval occupation of the 'covoli' has a parallel in the occupation of the site of the Busa, but no Neolithic site has yet been documented at high altitude.
- The distribution of debitage found in the Busa area is difficult to interpret chronologically and functionally. In situ flint knapping has been documented on the ridges of the Col di Luna and even on the summit of Mount Pavione. Procurement and use flint in the area deserve to be investigated more carefully.
- The function of the archaeological site investigated between 2016 and 2018 deserves a more detailed investigation. On the one hand, the site is unequivocally linked to pastoral activity, on the other hand, the size of the archaeological assemblage could help us understanding what strategies were carried out in the mountain pastures between the Roman times and the Middle Ages. We refer, in particular, to the diet of the shepherds, to their use of pastoral resources and the importance given to dairy production.
To answer these questions, the project has now focused on the archaeological investigation of the 'covoli' (rockshelters) of Val di Lamen and on the scientific analysis of the artefacts and ecofacts found during the previous excavation and survey campaigns.