DOVE OSANO LE AQUILE: STRATEGIE DI OCCUPAZIONE TERRITORIALE NEI VESTINI CISMONTANI (ABRUZZO) TRA L’ETÀ DEL FERRO E LA ROMANIZZAZIONE

Abstract

Although in the latest years there has been a progressive increase in the attention paid to inland Mediterranean areas, the highlands and inhospitable areas remain largely archaeologically unexplored even though they show a rich potential, especially for the phases that are previous to the Romanization of these same territories. In this paper we propose, therefore, to make a critical reading of the settlement of the Central Apennines during the period from the beginning of the Iron Age (9th-8th centuries BC) to the threshold of Romanization (4th century BC) in the light of modern archaeological and anthropological theory on the theme of identity. In fact, the processes of identity formation and negotiation take place in highlands according to very different parameters compared to what happens at the bottom of the valley. An analysis is thus required from a different perspective that takes into account the difficulties and constraints of the landscape, both in terms of resources and environmental conditions. It is therefore argued that the chosen study case, Vestino Cismontano in Abruzzo, is particularly suitable to show an example of longue durée adaptation, both to the landscape and to endogenous and exogenous historical contingencies.