Although this book concentrates on a limited area corresponding to the Alpine region, it aims to outline the characteristics of a mining culture in the Alps through a comparative study of different mining districts. The research in this book is guided by two main questions: How was the management and organisation of mining in different historical periods influenced by political and economic factors? Is it possible to confirm the existence of cultural expressions specific to the mining profession? Despite their differences, the two questions in this book complement each other. In order to provide an adequate answer to these research questions, this study was based on precise methodological choices. Mining districts were selected, which were influential extractive locations for the development of mining in the Alpine region but which have been little researched in historical-anthropological research...