Eremitic Settlements and Political and Military Contingencies in the Sixth Century: the Case of the Alto Garda Bresciano (Lake Garda, N. Italy)

The archaeological studies conducted since the end of the 1990s in the Alto Garda bresciano (the mountainous terrain along the western shores of Lake Garda in Lombardy) have uncovered, in addition to evidence for settlement patterns, ecclesiastical organization and centers of production, the remains of three upland eremitic sites in the township of Tignale.These hermitages should be seen in the context of a more general proliferation of ascetic retreats around the rest of the periphery of Lake Garda and on the slopes of Mount Baldo, which deserves more systematic archaeological exploration. The fifth century witnessed a concerted effort to construct numerous castra, watchtowers and barriers along the alpine valleys near the lake, situated with an eye to protecting the principal lines of communication in the region. We will proceed in the following contribution to explore the connection between eremitic settlements of eastern inspiration and the Byzantine military presence, not only in the surroundings of Lake Garda, but also in other regions of Italy. The better to determine whether the apparent connection be casual or intentional, we will seek to combine the archaeological data, which do not reveal pronounced changes in the parameters of eremitic practice, with the written sources, which do in fact explicitly document the arrival in Italy of eastern hermits.