A.6. “Human Occupations in Mountain Environments”
(HOME) UISPP Commission
From an archaeological perspective, mountain environments offer a very wide and complex research field, and our scientific interest finds its origin in the recognition of the fundamental role that mountains have always played in human history.
Through the millennia, mountains were climatically, geomorphologically, environmentally and also culturally shaping the human landscape. In a coarse-grain geographical scale, mountains have a deep influence on not only by their local climate and immediate vicinity, but sometimes in areas thousands or more kilometers away. Examples may be easily found in the different cultural processes occurred between the northern and the southern Alps, in the remarkable environmental differences of the western and eastern flanks of the Rocky Mountains/Andes, or in the consequences that the formation of the eastern African ridges had in the evolution of our species.
In a fine-grain geographical scale, the presence of mountains deeply influence the peopling strategies in a specific territory. A very high percentage of the Earth’s fresh water originates in mountains and most of the major rivers are fed from mountain sources. The ecological relationship between highlands and lowlands is well known and its complexity affects local species. Moreover, the morphological variability of mountains (folded, block, volcanic, plateau, etc.) has consequences for the evolution of ecological niches, biodiversity and, consequently, the exploitation of natural resources by human societies.
The HOME Commission, formally defined in 2012, involves scholars interested in developing, sharing and promoting knowledge about past human groups who inhabited mountain environments in any region of the Earth. Looking at the mountains of the world, any archaeologist who may be interested in being active member of the HOME Commission is warmly invited to join us to promote cooperation among institutions that investigate mountain environments and their influence on humans.
The HOME Commission will organize two sessions during the XVII UISPP Conference: a general one (A6a) and a thematic one (A6b). The proposals - oral or poster presentations - will be evaluated by the scientific committees by April 2014.
A.6.a – “Human occupations in mountain environments: a comparative methodological
perspective”.
This session addresses the topic of human presence and activity in mountainous environments on a global and comparative level, and thus encourages and welcomes contributions from all mountain regions and from all continents. The aim of the session is to establish a comparative methodological approach to the archaeology of mountain environments, and to enable a dialogue encompassing a broad variety of geographical settings – Himalaya, Caucasus, Carpathians, Alps, Scandinavia, Rocky Mountains, Andes, etc. – sharing a common research question: early human presence.
In order to structure this dialogue, we propose three core themes around which the contributions
should evolve:
a) Strategies of Site Detection
b) Hunter-Gatherers and the Transition to Farmers
c) Exploitation of Lithic and other Mineral Resources.
Papers can be presented in English, French or Spanish. Contributors should send a title and an
abstract (300 words max.). Please send the proposal to: Stefano Grimaldi (University of Trento),
stefano.grimaldi@unitn.it and include as reference: UISPP-General session A6a.
Scientific Committee
Sveinung Bang-Andersen (Museum of Archaeology, University of Stavanger)
Francesco Carrer (University of York)
Fabio Cavulli (University of Trento)
Ignacio Clemente (Institució Milà i Fontanals – CSIC, Barcelone)
Pierre Crotti (Museum of Archaeology and History, Lausanne)
Philippe Della Casa (University of Zurich)
Federica Fontana (University of Ferrara)
Stefano Grimaldi (University of Trento)
Walter Leitner (University of Innsbruck)
Maria Estela Mansur (Center for Scientific Research, Ushuaia)
Annaluisa Pedrotti (University of Trento)
Sabine Reinhold (German Archaeological Institute, Berlin)
A.6.b - “Resource exploitation of the Pyrenees from the first human occupations to the end of
protohistory: a behavioral perspective”.
This session focuses on general aspects of the behavior of human societies in the Pyrenees during Prehistoric and Protohistoric times. The aim of the session is to address economic, social and cultural issues which conditioned human settlement in this mountain environment, dealing e.g. with the analysis of human settlement patterns, resource management and economic strategies, and relations between communities. Archaeological analyses integrated in broad environmental and territorial perspectives will be especially welcomed.
Papers can be presented in Spanish, French or English. Contributors should send a title and an abstract (300 words max.). Please send the proposal to: Xavier Mangado (University of Barcelone), mangado@ub.edu and include as reference: UISPP-Thematic session A6b.
Scientific Committee
Álvaro Arrizabalaga (Universidad del País Vasco)
Ignacio Clemente (Institució Milà i Fontanals – CSIC, Barcelona)
Ermengol Gassiot (Universitat Autonoma Barcelona)
Mathieu Langlais (PACEA, CNRS, Bourdeaux)
Xavier Mangado (Universitat Barcelona)
Lurdes Montes (Universitad Zaragoza)
Javier Peñalbert (Sociedad de Ciencias Aranzadi, San Sebastian)
Christine Rendu (TRACES - UMR 5608 CNRS, Toulouse)
Nicolas Valdeyron (TRACES- UMR 5608 CNRS, Toulouse)
Abel Forteau (Área de Patrimonio Histórico, Andorra)
UISPP
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