V originále
The chapter introduces the studied region of the Bohemian-Moravian Highlands. It has been subjected to substantial transformations since the Middle Ages, which grants unique possibilities for studying the human impact on landscape formation. The aim of this paper is the identification of agricultural hinterland in relation to the settlement patterns and mining areas, and to reconstruct the subsistence strategies of the studied region during the Middle Ages and the early modern period. The studied area is analysed by the defined anthropogenic features in the landscape, using aerial archaeology and other non-destructive archaeological methods, as well as written sources dated between the thirteenth and the sixteenth centuries, where the main source is the urbary of the Brtnice domain. These steps allow us to create and test the model of land use and subsistence strategies during the Middle Ages and the early modern period.