Antigone
Archaeology of shariNg pracTIces:
the material evidence of mountain
marGinalisatiON in Europe (18-21st c. AD.)
What Antigone is
The ANTIGONE project aims to understand how changes in sharing practices and their disappearance affected the depopulation of mountain areas in Europe. The fundamental hypothesis of ANTIGONE is that certain changes, like replacing sharing practices of resources with single-focused ones, weakened the social aspect of managing environmental resources. By eliminating the need for negotiation between local social groups and resource holders, these changes may have contributed to the political marginalization and abandonment of Southern European Mountain areas since the 18th century.
The project investigates this relationship by studying three interconnected elements: institutions, local social groups, and practices through their physical manifestations. By analysing these elements, it aims to:
Understand how changes in practices affected the social organization and ways of life in rural communities.
Identify why depopulation and abandonment occurred differently in various areas, even within the same valley or parish.
ANTIGONE utilizes a multidisciplinary approach, including archaeology, history, ethnography, and archaeobotany. It focuses on four case studies in Mediterranean Europe: Ligurian Appennines, Basque Country and Asturias, Sierra Nevada and French Pyrenees
Research background
The ANTIGONE project aims to revisit the classical dynamics through which archaeology has traditionally investigated European rural landscapes. It shifts from an archaeology focused solely on the study of artifacts and their production dynamics to an archaeology that pays attention to how these artifacts were historically produced and maintained. Particular emphasis is given to the social actors who have produced and consistently maintained these artifacts over time.
ANTIGONE specifically focuses on the material practices of production of the historical objects it analyzes. Archaeological artifacts can be interpreted as true catalysts of social relations and conflicts. Their existence and long-term maintenance imply the presence of a dense network of social relationships that ANTIGONE seeks to explore, utilizing not only archaeological research but also archival historical research. Special attention is given to jurisdictional conflicts over resource exploitation and the maintenance of specific infrastructures, such as irrigation canals.
ANTIGONE aims to correlate the study approach to settlement dynamics with the practices and social conflicts related to resource exploitation and maintenance. It is often observed that areas lacking such conflicts and practices experience more significant depopulation phenomena.
This project has received funding from the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme (Grant Agreement n. 853539)
