Archeologia di montagna e il progetto UPLanD, studi sulla colonizzazione umana degli ambienti alpini.

Archaeological investigations in the upland pastures of Busa delle Vette Feltrine (Dolomiti National Park), carried out between 2014 and 2018, let to the discovery of a complex historic landscapes that shows significant evidence of human occupation and modification since at least the Early Middle Ages. A dry-stone hut, occupied between the 5th and the 10th centuries, yielded a large number of artefacts and ecofacts, including pottery, metal objects, animal bones and charred seeds, which was quite unexpected for a high-altitude context. The richness of the archaeological assemblage and elements of Lombard military garments suggest that this structure was not a mere pastoral hut, as initially assumed, but rather a strategic site to control the use of and transit through this upland area. 30 meters East of this hut, a complex of dry-stone enclosures was investigated. Potsherds and radiocarbon dates confirm that this site was occupied between the 11th and the 15th century, most likely for pastoral purposes. The abandonment of the structure might coincide with the establishment of the most recent pastoral hut, which is still in use. Survey and excavations revealed the long the complex history of this upland sector of the Dolomites, contributing to the growth of archaeological research in the Alps and to the development of the relatively new field of mountain archaeology.