Pollen and non-pollen palynomorphs from the Early Neolithic settlement of La Draga (Girona, Spain)

Abstract

Pollen and non-pollen palynomorphs (NPP) from the Early Neolithic settlement of La Draga have provided new palaeoenvironmental data concerning the establishment of the first farming societies in NE Iberian Peninsula. The analysis of samples from the archaeological profiles allowed the comprehension of several processes involved in the formation of this archaeological site and the reconstruction of environmental conditions in the different phases of occupation, in addition to obtaining new data about the ecological significance of NPP in archaeological levels. New NPP have been described, illustrated, and discussed.The first farming societies settled at La Draga in a humid and densely forested area, with the predominance of deciduous trees (deciduous Quercus and Corylus) and Pinus and Abies in the surrounding mountains. Following their establishment at the site, abrupt changes in vegetation are recorded, in terms of deforestation of oak and riparian forests. Sedimentation dynamics involved in the formation of the archaeological site influenced the composition of the NPP spectra, reflected in the contraposition between waterlogged and subaerial layers, but especially, between organic peaty layers formed at local level and sediments transported by erosive processes in the layers belonging to the second phase of occupation.