Museum of Archaeology at the European Archaeological Conference in Athens EAA2026

How did people use the high-Alpine areas of Schnalstal/Val Senales thousands of years ago? Andreas Putzer, archaeologist and curator at the South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology, has been exploring this question for around 15 years. He recently presented key findings from his research to an international specialist audience at the 32nd Annual Meeting of the European Association of Archaeologists (EAA) in Athens.

The research initially focused on the period in which Ötzi lived. Over the years, it expanded to examine the development of the entire Alpine cultural landscape, including hunting, trade, pastoral farming and dairy production. It also explores why people used even remote and difficult-to-access high-mountain areas at different times.

Traces of human presence dating from the Copper Age, the period in which Ötzi lived, are also known from the side valleys. Fireplaces and flint flakes show that people stopped there to rest or spend the night. A newly discovered site dating from the fourth to third millennium BC even points to longer stays in the high mountains.

The use of the landscape becomes particularly evident in the second millennium BC. As social and economic connections expanded, high-Alpine areas were increasingly used. This intensive use declined during the Roman period. It was not until the 11th and 12th centuries that the area began to be farmed more intensively again.

For his research, Putzer combines archaeological excavations with archaeobotanical analyses and historical written sources. This makes it possible to understand how people responded to the particular conditions of the high mountains.

“Schnalstal/Val Senales shows that high-Alpine landscapes were by no means merely remote peripheral areas. People used them repeatedly over thousands of years – at different times and for different reasons. Archaeological finds, plant remains and historical sources help us understand how flexibly people responded to the conditions of the high mountains,” explains Andreas Putzer.

Photo: Andreas Putzer at the EAA 2026 Athens (c) South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology