Go With the Flow: Microfacies Analysis for Uncovering Occupation Patterns, Waste Management, and Water Adaptation at La Draga Lakeside Settlement (Lake Banyoles, Spain)

Abstract

Micromorphological analysis of the archaeological sediments at the Neolithic (5300–4800 cal BC) lacustrine site of La Draga (Lake Banyoles) is used to reconstruct the depositional events that formed the site's stratigraphic sequence. By identifying different microfacies types, we have detected occupational surfaces across various sectors of the site and decoded the settlement's formation processes. These findings are discussed in the context of recent Bayesian chronological modeling of depositional events at La Draga. As is typical for lacustrine pile-dwellings, fluctuations in water levels have influenced both the formation and post-depositional alteration of the site's deposits and materials. The two study sectors at La Draga exhibit distinct depositional dynamics, reflected in the varying degrees of organic material preservation. Micromorphological evidence suggests that the inhabitants of the settlement developed different strategies to adapt to environmental changes, depending on the conditions within each occupational area. In the most recent occupational phase, travertine slabs—a local stone—were used differently across the site. In Sector A, these slabs appear to have formed structures or enclosures, possibly for discard activities. In Sector B–D, they were likely used as paving, possibly to insulate the area from water flow.