Paper short abstract:

This paper combines archaeological, archival and oral evidence to explore the landscape and lives of herders on the Cairo Massif between 1700 and 1970. Living quite literally on the edge, herders spent long periods tending to livestock in the highest and most remote areas of this upland landscape.

Paper long abstract:

The central uplands of the Cairo Massif (south-central Italy) are replete with the material remains of a now bygone way of life. The archaeologies of agriculture and of herding dominate but these two activities embody entirely different experiences of what it meant to inhabit this high altitude landscape (up to 1669m above sea level). Terraced fields and threshing floors cover great swathes of the uplands but the demands of agriculture could be met by a combination of occasional daily visits and short periods of intensive and often shared labour, events that brought together households and their neighbours to harvest, till or thresh. The herding facilities (stables, pens and shelters) interspersed amongst these agricultural remains represent a very different temporal investment. Men of all ages spent extensive periods living, quite literally, on the edge. Separated from the core of their families and communities, they tended to livestock through summer, autumn and even winter months on the highest and most remote reaches of the Cairo Massif. This paper will bring together archaeological, archival and oral evidence to explore what it meant to be a herder on the Cairo Massif between the 18th and 20th centuries and examine how herders articulated with each other, with their communities and with the wider world, through, for example, grazing disputes, transhumance strategies and access to markets. In doing so, the benefits of an integrated approach to historic landscapes will be highlighted, especially the important contribution of oral historical evidence.