Alpine archaelogy and everyday life at high altitudes: from the excavation to the laboratory (Orgères-La Thuile-AO, Italy)

The Orgères settlement (La Thuile-AO-1665m.) is located at the entrance of the Vallon des Chavannes, an alternative road to the Piccolo San Bernardo pass. The archaeological excavations have revealed a multi-layered context (1st-18th century AD) with buildings functional to the control of territorial management connected to the valley economy based on breeding, the production of wool, milk and derivatives, wood, hay, etc. On the basis of archaeozoological and isotopic analyses of animal teeth we know that Org res was a permanent and non-seasonal settlement. In this work, DNA-based metabarcoding analyses were conducted on soil microbial communities and plant remains at different archaeological layers. The laboratory data made it possible to identify some important indicators in order to draw an initial picture of living conditions at high altitudes.