Early Intensive Pastoralism and Transhumance in the Apennines

Classical sources and archaeological data coincide in identifying the existence of transhumant movements in the Apennines during the Roman period.

However, there is little evidence on how and when it started, what was its socioeconomic context and environmental consequences.

This is hardly surprising since, up to now, a multidisciplinary approach integrating landscape and archaeological data has never been employed to tackle ancient transhumant practices.Early Intensive Pastoralism and Transhumance in the Apennines (E-TransAp) seeks to investigate the origin of transhumant pastoralist practices using an innovative combination of remote sensing (including lidar and multispectral satellite imagery), microtopographic survey, machine learning, movement modelling, archaeological excavations and spatial statistical approaches.

E-TransAp will investigate a central area of the Apennines, within the territory of the Sabines, where Roman authors identify seasonal flock movements between the mountains and the lower areas, in order to identify and date landscape elements related to large-scale flock movement.

By bridging archaeological, palaeoenvironmental, and historical data, E-TransAp aims to provide a holistic understanding of ancient socio-economic systems and landscape mobility.

The research is grounded in the premise that understanding the inception and impact of transhumance is key to analyse the origin of Mediterranean mountain cultural landscapes.

This pioneering approach promises to offer new perspectives on the early practices of transhumance and its role in shaping ancient Mediterranean societies.