Archaeological survey around the Simplon and Albrun passes (Valais, Piemont), from Mesolihic to Roman period

Curdy, Philippe; Bullinger, Jérôme; Crotti, Pierre; Valsecchi, Veruchka; Tinner, Willy (2010). Archaeological survey around the Simplon and Albrun passes (Valais, Piemont), from Mesolihic to Roman period. In: Tzortzis, Stéfan; Delestre, Xavier (eds.) Archéologie de la montagne européenne. Bibliothèque d'archéologie méditerranéenne et africaine: Vol. 4 (pp. 185-195). Paris: Errance

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An Italo-Swiss Interreg project focused on the regions around the Simplon Pass and the Albrun Pass. Despite the modest means available, the surface prospections carried out from 2003 to 2005 yielded a number of traces of settlement, mostly dating back to the Mesolithic period and the Metal ages. A few archaeological searches have yielded some complementary information. The oldest findings date back to the middle Mesolithic period; these findings reflect a remarkably high rate of frequentation of the high-altitude shoulders and plateaus around altitudes of 2000 meters. Few Neolithic archaeological findings have been made at these sites, however, although the palynological data have indicated that human settlers were probably increasingly present in the Alpine zone during the Neolithic period. Palynological data have shown the existence of a strong human impact during the Late Neolithic and the Bronze age. The close watch kept on the mountain passes, as suggested by the presence of fortified sites on the hills, seems to have played an important role at this time, and even more so during the Iron age. The results obtained in this research project confirm the validity of the models previously put forward to account for patterns of settlement in the region around the sources of the Rhône (in the Valais canton) and suggest that Mesolithic settlers played an important role at high altitudes in the central western Alps.

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