The high mountains of the Mediterranean are often considered as refuges of ancient traditions, particularly of pastoralism and brigandage. Is this image true? This paper reports the first systematic archaeological research on Aspromonte, Southern Calabria. Archaeological, cartographic and air photo evidence suggests that people used the high mountains in all periods from the Neolithic onwards. However, early usage was low-intensity and probably for special purposes such as iron-smelting, charcoal-burning and logging; only in the Classical Greek period was there sustained effort at inhabiting higher areas. The real development of the mountains came in the late-nineteenth and twentieth centuries. From the 1920s onwards, there were large-scale, state-fostered projects for economic exploitation of forests, political control of territory, and creation of a recreational landscape. These endeavors tied into modernist ideas of the state, as well as period concepts such as Alpinism and healthy outdoor recreation for city dwellers. Ironically, as soon as these modern efforts made the high mountains accessible, they were assigned a chronotope, and were reimagined as the exemplification of an ancient way of life.

地中海的高山经常被认为是古代传统的避难所，尤其是牧民和贿赂的避难所。这个图片是真的吗？本文报告了南部卡拉布里亚州Aspromonte的第一个系统考古研究。考古，制图和航空照相的证据表明，从新石器时代开始，人们在各个时期都使用高山。但是，早期使用强度低，可能用于特殊目的，例如炼铁，烧木炭和伐木。只有在古典希腊时期，才有持续的努力来居住在更高的地区。山区的真正发展发生在19世纪后期和20世纪。从1920年代开始，国家实施了大规模的森林经济开发项目，对领土的政治控制，和创造休闲景观。这些努力与国家的现代主义思想以及诸如阿尔卑斯主义和城市居民的健康户外休闲等时代概念联系在一起。具有讽刺意味的是，一旦这些现代的努力使高山得以通行，它们便被赋予了年代记，并被重新想象成一种古老生活方式的典范。