Sorting the Trees
The Role of Laurus nobilis in the Woodland Management Practices at La Draga (Banyoles, Spain)
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 22360264 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Oriol López-Bultó (0000-0001-5327-1881, Universitat Autonòma de Barcelona), Patrick Gassmann (Independent researcher Barcelona Spain), Ingrid Bertin (0000-0003-0914-9242, Universitat Autonòma de Barcelona), Raquel Piqué (0000-0002-8253-6874, Universitat Autonòma de Barcelona) |
| Year | 2023 |
| Volume | 3 |
| Issue | 1-3 |
| Pages | 329-348 |
| Publication date | 2023-03-28 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | International Journal of Wood Culture (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2772-3186 • E-ISSN: 2772-3194 |
| Publisher | Walter de Gruyter GmbH (PUBLISHER • DE) |
| DOI | 10.1163/27723194-bja10023 |
| OpenAlex | W4362561166 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 15 |
It is suggested that woodland management (e.g. pollarding, pruning, or coppicing) was practiced from at least the Neolithic onwards. The goal of this work is to discuss woodland management practices in the Early Neolithic waterlogged site of La Draga (5300–4700 cal BC , Banyoles, Spain). To date, different methods and techniques (dendrochronology, roundwood age and diameter, dendrology, etc.) have been applied to address this issue, and some preliminary results have been obtained. However, recent excavations have yielded new wooden archaeological materials which help to approach this issue from another point of view: the presence of scars on the wood surface. For the first time at La Draga, it was possible to identify scars on the wood surface of piles caused by tool marks and partially or totally covered by wound wood ribs, indicating that the trees were marked before being cut down. The marked piles have been identified as laurel ( Laurus nobilis ) or bay tree, which is well documented at the site (firewood, instruments, and piles), although it played a secondary role after the oak. However, laurel was rarely exploited during the Neolithic in Europe, which poses the question of the intentional selection of this wood at La Draga. This paper presents the results of a morphological, technological, and dendrological study of laurel piles in the context of the wooden remains of the La Draga site. The results of the different approaches are summarised and contrasted to provide new insights into Neolithic woodland management in Europe. Moreover, the role of laurel trees in the context of the Neolithic is discussed
Archaeology · Biology · Botany · Coppicing · Firewood · Geography · Laurus nobilis · Woodland · Woody plant · Archaeology and ancient environmental studies · Medieval Architecture and Archaeology · Ecology
Firewood, food and human niche construction
Sowing the seed?
Tool mark analysis of Neolithic wooden digging sticks from La Draga (Banyoles, Spain)
Interdisciplinary approach to the landscape and firewood exploitation during the Holocene at La Garrotxa (Girona, NE Iberia)
The potential role of humans in structuring the wooded landscapes of Mesolithic Ireland
Models of Neolithisation of Northeastern Iberian Peninsula
Prehistoric Occupation of Banyoles Lakeshore
Wood Procurement at the Early Neolithic site of La Draga (Banyoles, Barcelona)
Landscape transformation and economic practices among the first farming societies in Lake Banyoles (Girona, Spain)
Using Branch Age and Diameter to Identify Woodland Management
Landscape and forest exploitation at the ancient Neolithic site of La Draga (Banyoles, Spain)
Dendrochronology in suboptimal conditions
Branch age and diameter
Late Mesolithic fish traps from the Liffey estuary, Dublin, Ireland
| Unique citing works | 1 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 1 |
| Citation span | 2026 - 2026 (1) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 1 |