ANTIGONE aims to observe a general historical phenomenon, such as depopulation in mountainous areas and the abandonment of certain types of resources, through an approach that allows for its segmentation into smaller and more observable pieces. ANTIGONE intends to examine individual local communities as if through a microscope, seeking to interpret the local internal mechanisms that have led to the genesis of generalized phenomena. For this reason, ANTIGONE adopts an interdisciplinary research methodology that integrates various approaches and research methods primarily derived from archaeology, history, anthropology, and archaeobotany. The research is organized into four phases (A, B, C, and D), further divided into nine work packages.

In phase A of the research, ANTIGONE focuses on investigating the four main case studies (Ligurian Apennines, Sierra Nevada, Alava, French Pyrenees). Within this phase, the first five work packages of the project are carried out:

WP1 “Hidden dialogues and practices”: This involves a historical analysis of archival documents, mainly focusing on statistical surveys of agro-silvo-pastoral resources, documents related to jurisdictional conflicts over resources, and local demographic dynamics.

• WP2 “Present landscape, past clues”: This work package involves archaeological investigations aimed at identifying evidence of past management of environmental resources.
• WP3 “Oral memory”: This work package utilizes interviews and oral investigations to explore the social characteristics of resource management, including the language used by local actors and the oral transmission of knowledge and skills related to resources.
• WP4 “Going back into practices”: This work package employs archaeobotanical disciplines to accurately periodize changes in resource management through close comparison with WP2
• WP 5 “Comparing periodisations”: this work package aims to identify the interrelation between different phenomena through the comparison of the periodisations built in the past four WP

In Phase B of the project, we find WP 6, through which ANTIGONE aims to compare the case studies analyzed in Phase A, emphasizing common elements and discontinuities to verify the project’s hypotheses. Phase B also seeks to understand how local communities conceptualize common resources and how this understanding contributes to the process of marginalization in mountain areas.
In Phase C, we have WP 7, which involves comparing the initial case studies with other scattered case studies throughout Europe, particularly in northern Europe (Sweden and Scotland), Eastern Europe (Greece), and southern Europe (Central Apennines and Sardinia).
Finally, in Phase D of the project, WP 8 aims to develop specific new policies for the management of environmental resources in European mountains. This phase involves close dialogue and collaboration with local communities. The idea is to reintroduce historical sharing practices based on local knowledge within the communities, which is a key aspect for sustainable resource management.
WP 9, on the other hand, is positioned outside the four project phases and focuses on the discussion and dissemination of the project’s results within the academic community and to a wider audience, particularly through public meetings and engagement with stakeholders from local communities.