The archaeology of the Italian shepherd

Abstract

Stock-keeping in the Mediterranean has to be adapted to the fundamental characteristics of the Mediterranean climate (mild wet winters and hot dry summers) and to the distinct variations in soil type and plant growth at different altitudes. The natural vegetation of the coastal regions is dominated by plants that can withstand the summer drought (when temperatures average 70–80 degrees F) such as the olive, holm oak, cork oak, and macchia scrub. The lowland pastures are green and succulent from autumn to spring, when temperatures average 45–55 degrees F and rainfall is relatively abundant, but are withered and of little nutritional value in the summer. In the interior mountains of Spain, Italy, and Greece, average January temperatures are below freezing and snow covers the highest regions through the winter months, but there is extensive grazing of excellent quality from the late spring to early autumn.