Transhumance in Ancient Greece

Abstract

It is well known that transhumance as a kind of large-scale pasturage is practiced in the Mediterranean region. Transhumance in modern Greece occupies its position in the framework of Mediterranean pasturage though it does not exist to the extent it does in Spain and other countries. This phenomenon is important in the study of animal husbandry.
Formerly, A. Sorlin-Dorigny asserted that in ancient Greece transhumance was not practiced until the unification of Greece by the Romans. But recently some scholars maintain that transhumance was practiced in ancient Greece. An article by Stella Geogoudi is particularly valuable for its detail. The literary and epigraphical materials which she collected are restricted to those which we can recognize as being related to transhumance, but it is an exhaustive list. Following Georgoudi's thesis, I show the geographical conditions under which transhumance in ancient Greece was practiced and the actual details appearing in the literary and epigraphical materials.
These historical materials do not throw much light upon land ownership. Even so we can expect that more new historical materials will be found and scholars will study transhumance and animal husbandry in contemporary Greece and contribute to our understanding of ancient Greek animal husbandry.