Aerial archaeology has a long and consolidate tradition of research and application in plane lands in many countries and with different soil compositions or conditions, (this journal is one fresh example of that). Nevertheless, still rare is the application of this discipline to mountainous landscapes. This paper, mimicking the title of a famous novel of 1967 by Alistair MacLean titled "Where Eagles Dare", focuses on the wealthy heritage of mountainous pastoral Crete as seen from the air in an unsystematic aerial archaeological survey over the island undertook by the Author in 2012. This "mountain emerging out of the sea" is indeed quite rich in still intact cultural heritage dating back from Minoan period till the very recent past, but most areas are hard to access and often impossible to systematically survey. Indeed, the almost uninterrupted mountain chain has numerous peaks above 2000 meters separated by few fertile valleys and hills. In the summits, there is no chance of finding any tree coverage but instead only low bushes and scrubs, ideal food for sheep and goats. A few examples of current project focusing on the most recent history of the island are presented here in a preliminary form as a key to understanding the survival of older persistence and traditions. Ongoing research aims at larger and more systematic aerial coverage of the island in order to try and understand the general phenomenon of creation, abandon and reuse/repurposing of temporary mountainous settlements. Therefore, these pages are to be considered as a mere spotlight oriented towards those areas traditionally considered as hostile places for living and instead demonstrating vibrant life and activity until modern days. The difficulty of reaching most of the areas seems to be a direct ratio of their cultural importance and, often, to their degree of preservation. In such a framework, aerial archaeology plays an important role as -probably- the only method able to provide a large scale perspective over the entire island in a Country with barely any tradition in air-photo interpretation projects .
Where... goats dare. Aerial survey in mountainous landscapes between history and ethnography
Gianluca Cantoro
2015
Abstract
Aerial archaeology has a long and consolidate tradition of research and application in plane lands in many countries and with different soil compositions or conditions, (this journal is one fresh example of that). Nevertheless, still rare is the application of this discipline to mountainous landscapes. This paper, mimicking the title of a famous novel of 1967 by Alistair MacLean titled "Where Eagles Dare", focuses on the wealthy heritage of mountainous pastoral Crete as seen from the air in an unsystematic aerial archaeological survey over the island undertook by the Author in 2012. This "mountain emerging out of the sea" is indeed quite rich in still intact cultural heritage dating back from Minoan period till the very recent past, but most areas are hard to access and often impossible to systematically survey. Indeed, the almost uninterrupted mountain chain has numerous peaks above 2000 meters separated by few fertile valleys and hills. In the summits, there is no chance of finding any tree coverage but instead only low bushes and scrubs, ideal food for sheep and goats. A few examples of current project focusing on the most recent history of the island are presented here in a preliminary form as a key to understanding the survival of older persistence and traditions. Ongoing research aims at larger and more systematic aerial coverage of the island in order to try and understand the general phenomenon of creation, abandon and reuse/repurposing of temporary mountainous settlements. Therefore, these pages are to be considered as a mere spotlight oriented towards those areas traditionally considered as hostile places for living and instead demonstrating vibrant life and activity until modern days. The difficulty of reaching most of the areas seems to be a direct ratio of their cultural importance and, often, to their degree of preservation. In such a framework, aerial archaeology plays an important role as -probably- the only method able to provide a large scale perspective over the entire island in a Country with barely any tradition in air-photo interpretation projects .I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
