About this Research Topic
Mountain research of the last five years has seen significant developments in areas related to Archaeology survey, Archaeozoology, Archaeometry, Molecular/Biomolecular Archaeology, Micromorphology or Palaeoenvironment, with the integration of new theoretical/conceptual frameworks and the application of new methodologies. Digital image analysis, ancient environmental DNA or proteins, bulk or compound-specific isotopic analyses and molecular biomarkers such as organic compounds (HAP, miliacin, stanol…), are allowing important advances in the characterization of human activities and practices as well as of landscape changes. These progresses are key to better identify changes in mountain economies. Therefore, at present, the scientific community has a novel dataset that has the potential to yield significant information about the complex exploitation of natural resources in mountain environments, allowing us to rethink our understanding of past human, animal and landscape interactions in these sensitive environments.
With this Research Topic we aim to illustrate how these new theoretical and methodological approaches improve the knowledge about the exploitation of mountain natural resources.
Any article type dealing with the following topics in mountain environments over time and space will be welcome:
- Large-scale and micro-regional reconstructions of mountain landscape changes.
- Animal exploitation, mobility and transhumance.
- Mountain agricultural activities and practices.
- Exploitation of mineral resources.
- Environmental dynamics and fire use.
- Permanent versus short-term mountain occupations.
- Mountain economies.
Keywords: landscape, pastoralism, agriculture, forestry, mining, rural economies, highlands, midlands, vertical/horizontal mobility
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.