Re-thinking the preservation biases impacting the Neolithic plant record in the Iberian Peninsula: insights from La Draga (Banyoles, Spain)

Seeds and fruits are frequently recovered at archaeological sites in the Iberian Peninsula, mainly preserved in a charred state. Plant assemblages recovered from waterlogged and desiccated contexts show that charring leads to a biased representation of certain taxa, as not all plants are equally likely to become charred or survive charring. For instance, wild fruits rarely require processing and are often eaten raw, so their presence in the record is usually minimal. The archaeobotanical record of the Neolithic period in the Iberian Peninsula is mainly composed of charred cereals (at least in terms of absolute numbers) but does their abundance reflect actual usage or is a preservation bias? La Draga settlement (Banyoles, Spain) (5300–4700 cal bce) has been excavated in several sectors located at different levels relative to the water table. This leads to varied preservation conditions: some areas mainly contain charred organic materials, while others preserve abundant waterlogged remains. The waterlogging of the archaeobotanical assemblage allows a wider range of taxa to be preserved, thereby enabling a more detailed and comprehensive reconstruction of economic activities. Now, based on the results from the studied sectors and new data from waterlogged sector B, we aim to emphasise the importance of this lakeshore site to reconstruct the full plant spectrum used by Neolithic farmers. We also highlight the need to continue exploring new areas as we gain further insights. Overall, this study shows that the variability in preservation at La Draga is key to identifying and interpreting biased taxon representation, contributing to broader discussions on taphonomy and subsistence reconstruction in prehistoric wetland sites.