Maria Saña

• Autonomous University of Barcelona

La cueva de Can Sadurní (Begues, Barcelona), fue utilizada como espacio sepulcral durante el período comprendido entre el 4450-4150 cal BC. Los procesos tafonómicos que tuvieron lugar en el interior de la cueva alteraron la distribución original de la mayoría de las inhumaciones, dejando en posición primaria sólo tres de ellas. El resto de los cuer...

Reconstructing past herd mobility, reproduction, and diet is crucial for understanding animal management practices among the first sedentary farming communities. It can also shed light on how domestic animals were integrated into the existing exchange networks of goods, products, and raw materials, and how they contributed to broader economic and s...

Understanding how domestic mammal species evolved through time provides insight into the artificial and natural selection processes that have shaped the diversity of domestic animals. The focus of this article is the morphometric evolution of sheep, goats and suids in the Northwestern Mediterranean Basin over the last 8000 years, employing a 2D geo...

Animal husbandry was an important economic strategy for early Neolithic communities. Sheep were among the first animals to be reared and were of significant importance in the Mediterranean area. Cattle also played a crucial role in some open-air sites, such as the settlement of La Draga in the northeastern Iberian Peninsula. The settlement was occu...

Direct ¹⁴C accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) dates obtained on a selection of pottery sherds recovered from surface sites in the Western Sahara have confirmed that the first potteries of this region appeared at the middle of the seventh millennium cal. BP. From the geographical point of view, these early results are detected all along the latitud...

From the second part of the 6th millennium BC onwards, pottery manufacture is attested throughout the western Mediterranean. The study of the functional and use of vessels has become a valuable source of information on the culinary patterns and subsistence practices of past societies. In the present study, we have analyzed the organic residues of a...

The feeding strategies of the first domesticated herds had to manage the risks arising from the novelty of livestock practices in territories often distant from the animals’ primary habitats. The Iberian Peninsula is characterised by a great diversity of environments, which undoubtedly influenced these dynamics. At the beginning of the Neolithic pe...

The introduction and adoption of livestock played a pivotal role in shaping subsistence strategies of populations in the southern Iberian Peninsula during the Neolithic. However, there is lack of information regarding animal management strategies, such as grazing areas and changes in foddering strategies, and their correlation with the environmenta...

Las primeras sociedades agropecuarias comenzaron a ocupar áreas de alta montaña desde la segunda mitad del sexto milenio cal ANE. Así lo demuestra la presencia de numerosos sitios que se documentan en este momento en los Pirineos. Se ha discutido profundamente sobre el modelo económico de estas sociedades, planteando desde la existencia de la trash...

Research on animal management strategies in high mountain areas during the early Neolithic (5,700–4,500 cal BC) has been conditioned by the presumption that human occupations in highland areas had a prominent seasonal character and the economic practices focused mainly on the exploitation of wild resources. The results obtained in the framework of...

Abstract: the latest results obtained, both in the excavation work and during its processing, in the Can Sadurní cave (Begues, Barcelona) have provided new information on the social and economic characteristics of the communities that, between ca. 4700- 3900 cal BC, populated the central coast of the NE of the Iberian Peninsula. The use/s that thes...

Volcanism can cause major impacts, including climate change and mass extinctions. However, the impact of monogenetic volcanism is often considered as limited in volcanological research. This work provides for the first time an interdisciplinary approach to the socio-ecological impact of monogenetic volcanism in a key region, the La Garrotxa Volcani...

Volcanic eruptions are key drivers of climate variability, with complex environmental consequences at regional and local scales that are rarely documented in high-resolution sedimentary records. In this work we present the results of a 15 m long paleolake core (Pla de les Preses core, Vall d’en Bas, Girona, NE Spain) covering the Late Pleistocene-H...

This paper seeks to reconstruct the management of food resources in the early Neolithic site of Cabecicos Negros in southeastern Spain. For this purpose, we have studied 29 potsherds from Cabecicos Negros (Andalusia, Spain). Applying the methods of gas chromatography and mass spectrometry we were able to recompose the daily use of the sherds relate...

Although volcanism may and has caused major impacts during Earth evolution, including climate change and mass extinctions, the impact of monogenetic volcanism is usually considered as limited or underestimated in volcanological research. During the Late Glacial- Early Holocene (14 − 8.6 kyr cal BP) transition, intense monogenetic volcanic activity...

The scientific advances in recent years, in terms of both the systematisation of the research and the application of new analytical techniques, are allowing us to rediscover the Neolithic economy. The data we have show about agriculture and animal husbandry of the Neolithic that more than anything else, food in the Neolithic was extremely varied in...

The control of animal feeding was fundamental during the first stages of domestication and husbandry. Studies on the diets of domestic mammals from the Neolithic period onwards are essential to understand early livestock practices and animal productive and reproductive strategies. Among the existing methods, microwear has been the one least applied...

The development of agricultural societies is closely entangled with that of domestic animals and plants. Local and traditional domestic breeds and varieties are the result of millennia of selec- tion by farmers. DEMETER (2020-2025) is an international pro- ject which is aiming to characterize the changes in animal and plant agrobiodiversity (pigs,...

Residue analysis in pottery usually concerns habitat or funerary sites. In this work, we have studied 21 vases from the Mines of Gavà (Barcelona, Spain) which constitute the oldest evidence of mining focused on variscite during the IVth millennium BC. The main objectives are determining the degree of preservation of lipids in this context, identify...

Sheep predominate the Early Neolithic faunal assemblages in the Iberian Peninsula. Their exploitation for meat and milk production made them key to the economy of these early farming societies. Management of sheep breeding season and feeding in the context of the local environment were decisive in obtaining these livestock products. This work focus...

Food and cooking practices are fundamental to the existence of human communities, having a direct impact on the way that daily life is organized. At the beginning of the Holocene, the adoption of settled modes of life, the domestication of plants and animals, and the development of pottery, induced important changes in the ways that food was acquir...

Husbandry practices have played an important role in the socioeconomic organization of mining societies. This paper presents the results of a zooarchaeological and taphonomic analysis of the faunal remains recovered from Mine16 at Gavà (Barcelona). Analyses of the faunal remains were used to determine the importance of livestock in subsistence prac...

The study of animal husbandry practices can be carried out from very different methodological approaches. Their integration can help to advance our knowledge of the modes of management of domestic herds in the earliest farming societies. Husbandry practices are articulated around two fundamental aspects: livestock management, and exploitation of an...

New results from recent excavation at Gird Lashkir (Erbil, Kurdistan region, Iraq) are presented in this paper. Data from the most archaic occupation phases so far discovered at the site will be discussed, with special emphasis on the Late Chalcolithic to Early Bronze Age. This article presents data related to architecture and subsistence (bioarcha...

Sheep were the most important species in the first domestic flocks in the Early Neolithic in the Iberian Peninsula. However, their study has tended to stress their role as a fossil guide of the neolithization process rather than their economic importance. The process of their introduction and the initial sheep management and exploitation practices...

The original version of this article, unfortunately, contained errors. Fig. 5 found out to be identical with Fig. 3. Given in this article is the correct Fig. 5.

The arrival of early farmers and their livestock in the Western Mediterranean during the Early Neolithic marked a new way of life for the northeast Iberian Peninsula. Given the permanence of the introduced economic strategies, which are still practiced today, and their apparently momentous outcome, this process has generally been explained as a suc...

During the Neolithic period, cattle were used not only for their meat and their milk but also for their strength. Unfortunately, apart from the discovery of specific instruments (yokes, travois, wheels, ards, etc.), it is not easy to demonstrate archaeologically their use for work. Nevertheless, the bone pathologies related to this activity can be...

Far less is understood of the nature of Late Neolithic settlement in the interior Zagros region in the 6th millennium BC compared with contemporary halafian settlement on the Tigris-Euphrates plains. This paper presents preliminary results of new excavations being conducted at the site of Banahilk (Soran, Iraqi Kurdistan) where 1950s Braidwood team...

The consumption of wild resources, including molluscs, continued in the first farming societies together with the consumption of domestic resources. Remains of continental and marine molluscs have been found at the Neolithic site of La Draga (north-eastern Iberian Peninsula), dated in 5320–4800 cal BC, and about 35 or 40 km away from the Mediterran...

This paper presents the technological (raw materials, forming techniques, surface treatments and firing) and typological analysis of ceramic vessels with a better degree of preservation which were recovered from the ditch of La Dou site (Vall d’en Bas, La Garrotxa) dated in Late Bronze Age (1290-920 cal. BC). The study proposes preliminary hypothes...

The site of Can Sadurni Cave (Begues, Barcelona, NE Iberia) is one of the most representative examples for the study of the Neolithic period in Catalonia given its extraordinary stratigraphy. It is during the Postcardial Neolithic (or Middle Neolithic I) when two phases in the cave, the NP0 phase with the 11b and 12 levels (ca. 4735-4501 cal.ANE) a...

The archaeological record of the Western Sahara remains extremely fragmentary, with very few sites systematically excavated. The excavation at Ashash rock shelter (Zemmur region) has provided, for the first time in the region, the evidence of superimposition of two prehistoric occupations that have been radiocarbon dated to the early 9th millennium...

Animal domestication processes involve important changes to the subsistence strategies of Neolithic populations in the first half of the Holocene. Domesticated pigs (Sus domesticus) played an important role in the early Neolithic economy of the western Mediterranean and their exploitation followed a systematic pattern oriented to the production of...

El conjunt d'aquestes excavacions i estudis s' han desenvolupat en el marc dels projectes:'La Draga en el procés de neolitització del nordest peninsular'(referencia 2014/100822);'Ocupaciones lacustres y gestión de recursos en las primeras sociedades agrícolas y ganaderas del NE peninsular: Tecnología de las producciones materiales y usos instrument...

Can Sadurní Cave (Begues, Barcelona) was used as a multiple burial space during the period between 4450-4150 cal BCE. Previous work focused on the in situ burials found at the site. Corpses in a forced flexed position were found, indicating that they had been deposited in a strongly-tied shroud. The taphonomic processes that took place inside the c...

Domestication represented a major change in animal management, since from the beginning of the Neolithic period, it made it possible to adopt and integrate the economic strategy of new resources that involved new work processes and new forms of social and economic organisation. Excavations found on the plain of Barcelona, such as those of Nou de la...

A series of burials dated to the second half of the Vth millennium cal BCE were discovered in Cova de Can Sadurní. These allow a first definition of a multiple funerary model that could have been practiced in several caves of the northeast of the Iberian Peninsula. The forced flexed position of the individuals indicates that the corpses must have b...

This paper presents the results of the investigations carried out from 2009 to 2013 in the multi-period archaeological site of La Dou (Sant Esteve d'en Bas, Girona, Catalonia). he authors expose the strategy applied to create the surveys and results of the excavations conducted to verify and date the detected features. he site was discovered in 200...

Mountain sites are usually seen as sites connected to pastoral or transhumant activities. This paper proposes an alternative interpretation for Neolithic mountain sites found in the southern Pyrenean slopes. The archaeobotanical and archaeozoological record of highland and lowland sites from this region is compared in order to observe any differenc...

RESUM L'explotació de recursos animals de talla petita presenta una importància significativa en contexts de les darreres societats caçadores i recol·lectores a l'àrea del NE peninsular i, particularment, la cacera especialitzada de conill salvatge (Oryctolagus cunniculus). A la majoria de jaciments caracteritzats per aquest tipus d'estratègia, Ory...

The socio-economic relevance of domesticated animals during the Early Neolithic in the Iberian Peninsula is indisputable, yet we essentially know little about the way they were managed. Among domesticated animals, pig (Sus domesticus) was a common food source and previous studies have shown the potential of stable isotopes for assessing variability...

Paleoparasitological analyses were conducted on samples from the Neolithic lakeside settlement of La Draga in Spain (5320–4980 BC). Conventional microscopic analysis revealed the presence of tapeworms (genus Taenia/Echinoccocus and Diphyllobothrium), roundworms (genus Trichuris, Capillaria, and Ascaris), rumen fluke (genus Paramphistomum), and Acan...

In the early-Holocene, animal domestication processes entailed important changes to the subsistence strategies of Neolithic populations. Among the first domestic species, pigs played a key role as they soon came to be one of the main sources of meat. Several methodological approaches have been followed in archaeology to differentiate between wild a...

Significance This unique research combines the analyses of lipid residues in pottery vessels with slaughter profiles for domesticated ruminants to provide compelling evidence for diverse subsistence strategies in the northern Mediterranean basin during the Neolithic. Our findings show that the exploitation and processing of milk varied across the r...

Sheep were adopted at the PPNB settlement of Tell Halula, Syria by ~7,500 cal BC. During earlier occupations, sheep were completely absent with meat production based on other domestic species. However, after their adoption, artificial breeding of sheep became one of the primary productive animal exploitation strategies within a short time span, (~7...

Abstract The dog played a marginal role in the meat diet of Iberian peoples if we compare it with that of other domestic animals; moreover, it did not play a predominant role in socio-political practices either, despite offerings of canids being documented in funeral contexts and habitat settings. The prominent presence of dog’s remains (Canis fami...

In 2013, the 35th anniversary of archaeological interventions at the site headed by the CIPAG is for the cave of Can Sadurní. Since the last time we visited this forum, in 1986, to present the site, 21 more excavation campaigns have been developed. In these years we have witnessed the passage of a site that had been lost as a prehistoric archeology...

INTRODUCTION An evaluation of the meat acquisition strategies practiced during the XVIth CE is presented from archaeozoological analysis of mammal, birds and fish remains, which were recovered in the larder of the Montsoriu Castle (NE Iberian Peninsula) (see Figure 1) which is one of the most representative examples of social and economic organizat...

ABSTRACT A series of burials dated to the second half of the Vth millennium cal BCE were discovered in cova de Can Sadurní. These allow a first definition of a collective funerary model that could have been practiced in several caves of the northeast of the Iberian Peninsula. The forced flexed position of the individuals indicates that the corpses...

Can Sadurní cave is, at the moment, one of the earliest sites where Neolithic occupations in the Northeast of the Iberian Peninsula can be traced (5470 ‑5300 cal BC). The integrated study of the faunal and archaeobotanical remains, the soil micromorphology and the organic residues (lipids) in pottery vessels has resulted in a detailed definition of...

This article revises the main archaeological contexts recovered in the city of Barcelona with the aim of approaching the economic and social dynamics of these agricultural and stockbreeding groups in the late 3rd millennium and early 2nd·millenium cal BC, which is known as the Late Copper Age and transition to the Early Bronze Age, according to tra...

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 North-Western Mediterranean witnessed a rapid expansion of farmers and their livestock during the Early Neolithic period. Depending on the region, cattle played a more or less important role in these communities; however how these animals were exploited for their milk is not clear. Here we investigate calf mortality to determine indirectly whet...

Ancient DNA (aDNA) provides direct evidence of historical events that have modeled the genome of modern individuals. In livestock, resolving the differences between the effects of initial domestication and of subsequent modern breeding is not straight forward without aDNA data. Here, we have obtained shotgun genome sequence data from a sixteenth ce...

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 su...

The site of La Draga is located in the central part of the eastern shore of Lake Banyoles, 172 m a.s.l. Archaeological work began in 1990. It is the only Early Neolithic lakeshore site in the western Mediterranean currently being excavated. Two different occupations have been documented within a timeline of 5430–4796 cal BC. An extent of about 800...

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 su...

This paper presents the multidisciplinary 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...

En el poblado neolítico de la Draga (5300-5000 cal BC) se documenta, a partir de 15.391 restos de fauna recuperados y analizados hasta el momento, la explotación como mínimo de 51 especies animales diferentes: 46 salvajes y 5 domésticas. Serán estas últimas las que suministren la mayor parte de los productos necesarios para la alimentación de estas...

Land snail shells are a common component in Mediterranean Holocene archaeological deposits, providing the opportunity to explore their potential as source of information concerning human behaviour and palaeoclimatic conditions. Many well-preserved shells of the caenogastropod Pomatias elegans were recovered along the Holocene succession of Bauma de...

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 d...

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 remain...

The most significant characteristic of the Neolithic site of La Draga is, undoubtedly, the superb preservation of organic matter. The characteristics of the site make it necessary to develop a protocol that begins during the excavation. Wooden objects are registered by photogrammetry and a systematic documentation which involves determining the spe...