Maria Saña

An integrated perspective on farming in the early Neolithic lakeshore site of La Draga (Banyoles, Spain)

Abstract A combined analysis of the faunal and charred plant macroremains from the early Neolithic lakeshore site of La Draga (Banyoles, Spain) is presented. The aim was to characterise the farming strategies practiced by the first Neolithic communities in the north-east of the Iberian Peninsula in terms of their degree of intensity. The joint discussion of the data allowed the observation that permanent plots could have been kept, that a high harvest would have been practiced and that a low-scale processing of the crop could have taken place within the domestic space, where the grain would be stored. This type of crop husbandry would permit the livestock to access the fields and graze the stubble, which would result in the manuring of the plots. Herds were kept close to the dwellings and different management and consumption practices were observed between the larger and the smaller animals. Smaller animals were probably produced and consumed at a household scale while larger animals would require a cooperative management and consumption. It is concluded that the available evidence points towards an intensive mixed farming model.

Prehistoric Occupation of Banyoles Lakeshore: Results of Recent Excavations at La Draga Site, Girona, Spain

Abstract Recent research at the Neolithic site of La Draga on the edge of Banyoles Lake (Girona, Spain) has documented evidence for the occupation of the lakeshore from the final quarter of the sixth millennium cal BC. Excavation during 2010 and 2011 identified at least two episodes of occupation. The oldest episode includes wooden structures, which were superseded and overlain by a paving of travertine blocks during the younger phase. Archaeological materials, artefacts, and pottery styles indicate a level of continuity between the two phases of construction and occupation. Both episodes can be attributed to the Cardial Neolithic. Investigation of the underwater part of the site resulted in the discovery of the first wooden tools from the site and therefore from the prehistory of Iberia.

The impact of the Roman Empire on animal husbandry practices: study of the changes in cattle morphology in the north-east of the Iberian Peninsula through osteometric and ancient DNA analyses

The change in cattle size during the late Iron Age and the Early Roman period is a widely known phenomenon. However, hardly any information is available about this change and its causes in the north-east of the Iberian Peninsula. In order to shed more light on this issue, variations of cattle size and shape through the analysis of Bos taurus remains from ten archaeological sites located in the north-east Iberia and occupied from the middle fifth century bc to the third century ad are examined in this paper. Osteometric postcranial and teeth analyses show a clear change in cattle size and shape during the Romanization period at newly founded sites. This change is documented at all the sites from the Early Roman period. Genetically, authenticated results from a short fragment of the mitochondrial d-loop were obtained from 6 cattle metacarpals out of 33 tested. They affiliate to the main European taurine haplogroup T/T3. The integration of the available data including the archaeological background suggests that the presence of these morphologically different cattle, introduced during the Romanization period, was more pronounced at sites interpreted as villas and trading posts, rather than at cities during the Early Roman period.

The Application of Systematic Sampling Strategies for Bioarchaeological Studies in the Early Neolithic Lakeshore Site of La Draga (Banyoles, Spain)

Abstract This paper presents the multi-disciplinary sampling strategy that has been applied at the archaeological site of La Draga during the last three fieldwork campaigns (2010–2012). A preliminary evaluation of the results is presented in order to discuss the efficiency of the strategy in answering the outlined scientific questions. The strategies applied for faunal remains (one hundred per cent recovery), wood remains (selective sampling) and charcoal remains (random sampling of twenty-five fragments per square) proved to be successful. The anticipated levels for ichthyofauna, entomofauna and non-ligneous plant macroremains were not attained using this sampling strategy. Some explanations for this are proposed (e.g. high degree of erosion of the archaeological layer). Further guidelines for future work are established. This strategy could be applied to other Mediterranean wetland sites.

Ritual practices and collective consumption of animal products at the Iron Age rural settlement of Mas Castellar de Pontós (Girona, Spain) (5th–4th centuries BC)

Abstract Animals have played an important role in certain ceremonies or rites in the past. During such activities, animals may have been alive, dead or been used as raw material. The disposal of detritus from these practices can lead to the formation of faunal assemblages with a particular taxonomic and anatomic composition. At the Iron Age ‘Mas Castellar de Pontós’ site (Girona, Spain), associations of archaeological materials excavated from Pit feature FS362 were suggestive of deposits arising from collective ceremonial consumption. Analysis of the 1309 mammal remains recovered from this feature is used to determine the nature and dynamics of the ceremony. At the same time, the relationship of these faunal remains with the other archaeological materials recovered in the pit will allow light to be shed on the significance and importance of these ceremonies in the framework of the social and political relations that governed the life of the inhabitants of this settlement.