D.2.3. Montes de Utilidad Pública de Álava y Gipuzkoa: Sierra de Aizkorri (Parzonería General de Gipuzkoa y Álava, Oñati), comunales de Zalduondo, montes comunes de Salvatierra, Narbaiza (San Millán), Heredia (Barrundia) y Zuazo de San Millán (San Millán)

In 2015 two research projects were conducted in the Public Use Woodland Areas of Álava and Gipuzkoa. The research was conducted within the framework of two joint projects: “ARCHIMEDE - Archaeology of Commons: cultural Heritage and Material Evidence of a Disappearing Europe” (Marie Curie IEF) and Aizkorriko gune kalifikatuetan miaketa arkeologikoak / Prospecciones arqueológicas en espacios calificados de Aizkorri (funded by the Gipuzkoa Provincial Council). The aim of these projects is to study the historical relations between public right of access to common areas and resources, local social groups and the environment, based on the analysis of how these areas are organised today and how this relationship has developed over time, through the study of Basque woodland commons. While the first project focuses on the more general study of the commons in Álava and Gipuzkoa, drawing comparisons between the situation here and that of the Appenines (Val Trebbia) and the French Pyrenees (Cerdagne), the second aims to conduct an in-depth study of selected areas in the Aizkorri range. The objective of this paper is to chart the activities carried out during the fieldwork (visual prospecting and archaeological sondages). Visual prospecting has enabled us to identify a large number of significant sites which will provide useful information about the historical ways in which the commons were used and exploited. The sondages have enabled us to examine the transformations that have taken place over the long period ranging from the 14th century to the 20th century, including evidence of prehistoric exploitation