L’apporto dell’archeozoologia allo studio dell’economia pastorale e della transumanza

Archaeozoology is the study of the animal remains found in archaeological excavations. Its primary purpose is to recreate the relationship between human communities and animals in the past. One of the most current research topics concerns the practice of husbandry of domestic animals (cattle, goats and sheep) that are involved in the mobility of human groups devoted to seasonal pastoralism and that can be exploited for primary (meat) and secondary products (milk and wool). Mountain pasture and transhumance are historical phenomena directly related to the exploitation of livestock; they can be analysed through archaeological data. Depending on different geographical areas, the movement of livestock usually occur between lower valleys and higher pastures that are seasonally exploited, as typically happen in the Alpine area. This type of movement is called “mountain pasture” and represents an integrated exploitation of natural resources; it concern the movement of animals a few months per year towards uncultivated grassland areas, such as those generally located in mountains above the limit of vegetation, to increase ploughed areas and make the economic level of a community more sustainable. In turn, the practice of transhumance has to represent a form of specialization, as it needs people dedicated almost exclusively to the care and the movement of livestock. The characteristics of the pastoral activities varied through time according to geomorphology, the relationship between agricultural and pasture areas, demographic pressure, the socio-political development of ancient communities and the relationships between different groups. Written sources testify on the practice of transhumance in ancient time, although the length of seasonal movements cannot be exactly identified, above all in relation to the movements practiced in prehistoric times. The first form of transhumance that was carried out in ancient time is scarcely visible in archaeological contexts. Unfortunately, the archaeological indicators of pastoralism and transhumance are quite faint: the presence of enclosures, stables or other functional areas connected to pastoral activities are hardly traceable, although encouraging research in this direction are being carried out in Trentino and in the Austrian Alps areas. According to evidence, prehistoric paths were of different extension, maybe partially coinciding with those used in historic times. Some information on pastoralism and the seasonal movement of livestock practiced by ancient communities can be detected by the study of animal remains, such as cattle and caprines mortality profiles that can indicate which products were exploited, although an integration with other data is always desirable. This paper summarizes past and recent results of recent research on the subject (e.g. art factual, zooarchaeological and lipid analysis) and suggests directions for future research on the topic of ancient transhumance.