Xavier Terradas

Landscape transformation and economic practices among the first farming societies in Lake Banyoles (Girona, Spain)

Abstract This paper focuses on the high-resolution pollen analysis of one new pollen record from Lake Banyoles (Girona, Spain) and its contextualisation with other archaeobotanical records (charcoal, seed and wood remains) from the early Neolithic lakeshore settlement of La Draga. Around ca.7250 cal BP, coinciding with the first settlement phase of La Draga, a rapid fall of the pollen values of deciduous Quercus sp. is observed, and a stabilisation of these values is found until ca. 6000 cal BP. The causes for such changes in vegetation cover are discussed, taking into consideration environmental data to calibrate the role of climate in vegetation dynamics, as well as archaeobotanical data to evaluate impact of the management of vegetal resources on the landscape. The discussion of the data shows that climate could not have been the main cause for the decrease of broadleaf deciduous forests, and that the need of gathering raw material for the construction of dwellings played a major role in this change. The fact that these plant community does not recover during the occupation or after the abandonment of La Draga would confirm that human impact continued over time and that forest clearances were maintained for various purposes.

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 The oldest episode includes wooden structures, which were superseded and overlain by a paving of travertine blocks during the younger phase.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 emergence of Mesolithic cemeteries in SW Europe: Insights from the El Collado (Oliva, Valencia, Spain) radiocarbon record

Located on the Iberian Mediterranean coast, El Collado is an open-air site where a rescue excavation was conducted over two seasons in 1987 and 1988. The archaeological work excavated a surface area of 143m2 where 14 burials were discovered, providing skeletal remains from 15 individuals. We have obtained AMS dates for 10 of the 15 individuals by means of the direct dating of human bones. The ranges of the probability distribution of the calibrated dates suggest that the cemetery was used during a long period of time (781–1020 years at a probability of 95.4%). The new dates consequently set back the chrono-cultural attribution of the cemetery from the initial proposal of Late Mesolithic to an older date in the Early Mesolithic. Therefore, El Collado becomes the oldest known cemetery in the Iberian Peninsula, earlier than the numerous Mesolithic funerary contexts documented on the Atlantic façade such as the Portuguese shell-middens in the Muge and Sado Estuaries or the funerary sites on the northern Iberian coast.

A microarchaeological approach for the study of pits

Abstract The study of the technology underlying pre-industrial storage structures has an interest from an anthropological and archaeological perspective, in terms of the evolution of key cultural and cognitive capabilities, often related to the transition to food production. Microarchaeological techniques offer a unique perspective on the study of pre-industrial storing technologies. In this work, examples are presented from two archaeological contexts in different climatic and socio-ecological situations during the Holocene in S Asia and SW Europe. Microarchaeological techniques used in this study include micromorphology, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and phytolith analyses. The comparative study of two pits highlights key aspects of the decision-making process involved in technological solutions of storage: • The choice of a location for the construction of a given storage facility is highly affected by contextual climatic, microclimatic, soil and bioturbative factors• The time taken to consume stored foodstuffs seems to affect technological investment as much as the intrinsic conservation requirements of the stored taxa• The use of fire to hygienise pits implies that such structures were not conceived for single use• Pre-industrial storage systems can be seen as modular structures, which components (e.g. topographical location, sediment type, lining type, hygienisation techniques and cover) can be recombined to improve storage performance for different climatic settings and foodstuffs.

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.

Farming Practices in the Early Neolithic According to Agricultural Tools: Evidence from La Draga Site (Northeastern Iberia)

La Draga is an open-air settlement located on the shoreline of Lake Banyoles in the Northeast of the Iberian Peninsula. To date, two occupation phases have been differentiated, both attributed to the Early Neolithic (5300–4900 cal BC). The proximity of the lake has meant that a large part of the site has been covered by the water table; as a consequence organic materials are well preserved. The preservation of wooden artefacts offers an excellent opportunity to study the techniques and crafts developed in the first Neolithic villages. This chapter presents the wooden tools related to agricultural practices. This assemblage consists of 45 pointed sticks, 24 of which can be interpreted as digging sticks according to ethnographic and archaeological parallels and the results of a specific experimental program, and 7 sickle handles, one of which holds a flint blade still inserted in its original position. The information these implements provide for the knowledge of the first agriculture is discussed and compared with data supplied by several archaeobotanical proxies. The two approaches are seen to contribute complementary data allowing a more comprehensive reconstruction of the farming practices of Early Neolithic communities in the Western Mediterranean.

Punk’s not dead : fungi for tinder at the Neolithic site of La Draga (NE Iberia)

This paper presents the study of the fungi remains preserved in the waterlogged deposits of the Neolithic site of La Draga. These resources had the potential of being used as food and medicine, but also as tinder. Fire was without a doubt one of the most important resources for past people. It was used for lighting, heating, processing food and other materials, cooking and protection, and also possessed social and ritual significance. Hearths are one of the most common features at archaeological sites, but very often little attention is paid to the question of how these fires were lit, and they are seldom reflected in the archaeological record. In order to produce fire by percussion, an intermediate material is required between the sparks and the fuel. Fruiting bodies of fungi are a potential form of tinder, but are less inclined to be well-preserved than other materials. This paper presents the fungal fruiting bodies found at the Neolithic site of La Draga and discusses the meaning of their presence within the archaeological context of the site and European Prehistory.

Disponibilidad de rocas silíceas en el noreste peninsular: resultados del proyecto LITOcat

On the occasion of the LITOcat Project a reference collection concerning the siliceous rocks from north-eastern Iberia has been constituted with archaeological aims. We introduce here a first systematic record regarding those geological units in which siliceous rocks occur, notwithstanding whether they were used or not as raw material throughout Prehistoric times. All these rocks have been contextualised from the point of view of its geological frame, unit and formation age, as well as the environment where it was set up. All of that contributes to obtain a first approach about the availability of siliceous rocks in north-eastern Iberia. In the near future the project will progress with the edition of a digital map regarding the geological units containing flint layers and, afterwards, the cycle will closure with a catalogue including all the types of flint that appear into the region as well as its corresponding petrological characterization.