Federica Carbotti, " 'There are Prehistoric cities up there'. Methodological insights on fortified hilltop sites in southern Albania"

Presentation part of the Session #10 "Archaeology of the Uplands: searching for models and methodology in high altitude human-shaped landscapes" of the 2024 Landscape Archaeology Conference. 

The session explores upland archaeology, a field that has gained increasing attention in recent years due to its potential to uncover unique insights into the lives of communities, living in mountain landscapes and environment. There are certain models that scholars tend to repeat uncritically: is there greater resilience in the uplands that makes the mountains more suitable for times of crisis? Why so often in Italian mountains Middle Ages sites insist over bronze age occupations? Is it possible to trace the network of late prehistoric ephemeral pathways? Is it true that the importance of the uplands is decreasing over the classical age and the early middle ages? Can we really talk about cultural backwardness for mountain regions in the middle ages?

Starting from a common geographical framework, the session focus on the peculiarities of mountain landscapes compared to lowland ones. The aim is to bring together researchers to explore the multifaceted aspects of upland archaeology. We invite diachronic contributions, from late prehistoric times, through the classical age, to the Middle Ages, that delve into the various aspects of archaeological research in upland regions, spanning from methodology and technology to interpretations and implications.