phil della casa

Journeys to the limits of the known world, and narratives on fabulous people, places and things form a common ancestral background in European, and in particular Mediterranean, mythology. Odysseus and the Argonauts are just the most famous of the actors known from epic tradition. On the other hand, alien objects found in distant places have for a long time triggered archaeological discussion about tradition, trade and cultural transformation. The paper investigates, with a focus on Late Copper Age burials in the Adriatic and the central Mediterranean, possible connections between the rise of local elites, distance voyaging, esoteric knowledge, cultural transformation, and the emergence of mythological patterns.

The Augusta Insula Project focuses on the Croatian island of Lastovo. These investigations are part of ongoing archaeological and interdisciplinary research in the southern Dalmatian archipelago conducted under the aegis of the Korčula Archaeology Research Group (KARG). Field studies focus on the application of heritage management practices pertinent to the island’s archaeological and historical resources. The first season’s research (2001) consisted of preliminary bibliographic studies and field survey, while the second field season (2003) comprised limited subsurface archaeological testing at the localities of Kaštel and Lučica. The third season (2007) focused on more intensive field survey, testing at the Sozanj site, informant interviews, and data collection. A GIS database has been developed to examine the inter-relationships of the sites, and their connections to the regional prehistoric and protohistoric coastal marine setting. The project is similar in scope to the Adriatic Island Project. Eventually, a joint database will enable the study of a large group of islands. Such a common data collection approach would be unique to Mediterranean archaeological research.

Over the last 30 yr, there has been an ongoing debate on the dates and modes of the earliest colonization of East Polynesia, namely the Cook Islands, the 5 archipelagos of French Polynesia, the Hawai’i Islands, Easter Island, and New Zealand. At least 3 alternative models were proposed by Sinoto, Anderson, Kirch, and Conte, but interestingly all these mod- els basically relied on the same set of roughly 200 radiocarbon dates on various organic materials from archaeological exca- vations as far back as the 1950s. Some of the models differed by 500–1000 yr—for a proposed initial colonization around the turn of the BC/AD eras, if not considerably later. By comparing the different approaches to this chronological issue, it becomes evident that almost all known problems in dealing with 14C dates from archaeological excavations are involved: stratigraphy and exact location of samples, sample material and quality, inbuilt ages and reservoir effects, lab errors in ancient dates, etc. More recently, research into landscape and vegetation history has produced alternative 14C dating for early human impact, adding to the confusion about the initial stages of island colonization, while archaeological 14C dates, becoming increasingly “young” as compared to former investigations, now advocate a rapid and late (post-AD 900) colonization of the archipelagos. As it appears, the Polynesian case is more than just another case study, it’s a lesson on 14C-based archaeological chronology. The present paper does not pretend to solve the problems of early Polynesian colonization, but intends to con- tribute to the debate on how 14C specialists and archaeologists might cooperate in the future.

Since 2013 new archaeological studies undertaken by the Dept. of Prehistoric Archaeology at the University of Zurich have revisited previous research carried out since the 1970s in the Oberhalbstein region (Canton Grisons, Switzerland). The aim is to add an important area to the existing infor- mation regarding the production and use of Alpine copper during the Bronze and Iron Ages. South-eastern Switzerland is a key area because the existing information on prehisto- ric copper mining is still rather limited compared to Austria and northern Italy where corresponding projects have been ongoing for several decades. Hardly any traces of prehisto- ric mining and smelting structures have been recorded in detail, and prominent hypotheses – such as those regarding the origins of Early Bronze Age finished products discovered at the cemetery in Singen (D), or numerous bronze arte- facts dating from the 2nd and 1st millennia BC from the Swiss Plateau and from central and southern Alpine areas - still remain unconfirmed.

A number of recent archaeological sur- vey and excavation projects in the Swiss Central Alps (St. Gotthard area, Ticino valley, Engadine, Silvretta massif) shed new light on the environmental, social and economic dynamics of early Alpine colonisation. Specific topics addressed in this paper are human impact on the environment as derived form palaeoecological datasets, geography of settlements and transit routes, specific forms of social organisa- tion, evidences of Alpine pasture use and economy, as well as new issues relating to global warming and the rapid loss of ice patches with archaeological potential in high altitudes.

Le site montagnard d’Airolo-Madrano «In Grop» (Haute Léventine TI; 1156 m d’altitude) a été occupé durant l’âge du Bronze (17e - 12e siècle av. J.-C.) et au second âge du Fer (4e - 2e siècle av. J.-C.). Grâce à la compilation de données interdisciplinaires, une première reconstitution de l’espace archéologique et de l’utilisation anthropique du paléoenvironnement peut être esquissée. Les activités de subsistance semblent directement liées à l’exploitation du milieu naturel environnant où se concentrent l’agriculture, la cueillette, l’élevage et probablement même la chasse. L’importance des plantes vivrières, composées de céréales, surtout d’orge, de légumineuses et de plantes oléagineuses, de même qu’un élevage axé sur le bœuf et les caprinés reflètent une situation commune aux sites montagnards connus, suisses et limitrophes, des âges du Bronze et du Fer.

Rocks, which are ubiquitous in archaeological sites as chipped or polished tools, were important factors in the prehistoric Alpine economic system. Archaeometric characterization and identification of source areas open the path to a more detailed understanding of the production and diffusion mechanisms behind Alpine lithic industries. An overview of the situation from the eastern to the western Alps in the Mesolithic, the Neolithic and the Copper Age illustrates current debates and issues.

This paper presents first results of the excavations in the Bronze and Iron Age settlement of Airolo-Madrano in the Alpine Ticino valley (Switzerland), particularly concerning its settlement history, material culture, economic background and environmental setting. The coherently acquired and interdisciplinarily analysed stratigraphical, chronological and archaeo-biological data speak in favour of a self-sufficient settlement in the ecological border zone of the Central Alps. It offers substantial insight into the early permanent colonisation of the Alpine region in terms of history and cultural geography.

Le Département d’Archéologie Préhistorique de l’Université de Zurich conduit depuis une trentaine d’années des fouilles archéologiques dans les Alpes. Les chercheurs s’intéressent en particulier aux modes d’occupation et aux paysages, élaborant de nouvelles techniques de recherche et, notamment, des approches interdisciplinaires de l’écologie humaine. Un nouveau projet intitulé «Léventine – paysage de l’occupation préhistorique» vise à retracer l’histoire du peuplement aux âges du Bronze et du Fer dans la Léventine (vallée alpine du Tessin) grâce à des études archéologiques et paléo-environnementales menées à différentes altitudes. Pour ce projet, il a fallu développer une méthodologie de prospection et de recherches éco-archéologiques, avec modélisation prédictive fondée sur des cartes archéologiques, étude systématique ou aléatoire du terrain, carottages, sondages et fouilles de moyenne ampleur. Les données sont modélisées en SIG à partir de la base de données du projet et de données spatiales mises à l’échelle.

Avant de se lancer dans un récit de la préhistoire des Alpes, il faut s’arrêter quelques instants sur les enjeux scientifiques d’une telle entreprise. Seule une recherche originale et fondamentalement pluridisciplinaire permet d’aborder des entités spatio-temporelles alpines résultant des contraintes éco- logiques, économiques et sociales. Les données archéologiques et paléo- écologiques, nécessaires pour comprendre les processus complexes de colo- nisation, d’occupation et d’exploitation du territoire alpin, nécessitent une acquisition critique et ciblée. Si l’on peut proposer un scénario de l’occupation progressive du domaine alpin au cours de la préhistoire, maintes questions perdurent, notamment en ce qui concerne les interactions entre climat et activités humaines.

Using examples from the San Bernardino and the St. Gotthard passes in the Swiss Central Alps, this paper discusses how the existence of transalpine high altitude pass routes can be inferred, even though there is a lack physical evidence, from specific Bronze and Iron Age settlement patterns in access valleys. Particular attention is given to the effect of topography within the territorial and economic organizational area on transalpine tracks and traffic routes. A set of recurring patterns, such as strategic position, natural and/or artificial protection, presence of “foreign” materials, can help identifying (settlement) sites with particular functions as regards traffic and trade within the systems of territorial organization. Moreover, the paper also addresses socio-dynamic issues of the problem of transalpine pass routes.

Since 2006, the interdisciplinary project “Leventina – Prehistoric Settlement Landscape”, funded by the Swiss National Foundation, is being conducted under the coordination of the Department of Pre- and Protohistory of the University of Zurich with researchers from further disciplines. The project investigates prehistoric settlement and economy in various altitudinal zones of the Alpine Ticino valley. One of the aims is to reconstruct the agricultural, pastoral and forestal land use in the Bronze and Iron Ages, and to evaluate the influencing factors on the spatial distribution of subsistence economy areas. A wide range of spatial and archaeological data as well as literature and field data describing properties in particular of the ancient economic plants was available for the purpose. Based on these data, a factor analysis and a subsequent prediction were conducted in order to evaluate the variables with a likely impact on agricultural land use at prehistoric times, and to detect potential agricultural land. Additionally, using predictive modeling, we aimed at extracting factors with impact on the spatial distribution of Bronze age settlement sites and generating a potential map of areas used for settlement. Furthermore, a cost path analysis was conducted to investigate different traffic routes across the main ridge of the Alps in terms of travel time.