Mountain Landscape and Human Settlement in the Pindus Range: The Samarina Highland Zones of Western Macedonia, Greece

Past human mountain settlement patterns and resource high-altitude landscape exploitation are underexplored research fields in archaeology. This study presents data gathered during more than 20 years of fieldwork the Pindus range Western Macedonia (Greece), focusing particular on Holocene land use. The investigated territory is located around Vlach town Samarina. area partly bounded by Mounts Vasilitsa, Gurguliu, Bogdani Anitsa, their interconnecting watersheds between ca. 1400 2000 m a.s.l. led to discovery many sites findspots lithic ceramic artefacts attributed Middle Upper Palaeolithic, Mesolithic, Late Neolithic, Chalcolithic, Bronze Age, several Historical periods. radiocarbon results show an unexpected longue durée number sites, distribution, location, subsistence strategies exhibit shifts Palaeolithic different periods Holocene, which closely related environment its resources. Moreover, typical knapped stone have been used as a proxy for dating glacial landforms characterise Samarina highland zone; we correlate them better-known moraine systems Mount Tymphi Epirus contribute reconstruction Pleistocene landscapes Range.