Archaeologist working on the dig in La Draga. Photo by Arqueoxarxa, Josep Casanova.
The archaeological site of La Draga is one of the oldest settlements of farmers and livestock breeders in the north-east of the Iberian Peninsula and is located in the centre of the eastern bank of Banyoles Lake.
The work is currently carried out by the MACB (Banyoles Regional Archaeological Museum), the SSIC (Higher Scientific Research Council), the UAB (Autonomous University of Barcelona), the MAC (Archaeological Museum of Catalonia) and the CASC (Centre of Subaquatic Archaeology of Catalonia).
The shape of the settlement during the Neolithic occupation was that of a peninsula that jutted out into the lake with a gentle and continuous slope. Upon the basis of the prospections, it is believed to have had an approximate surface area of about 8,000 m².
Its location in an area with constant humidity, now partially covered by the waters of the lake and sediment, has led to the remarkable conservation of the organic remains over plant materials, the remnants of the huts and tools made from plant materials such as bows, sickles, adze handles, strings, wooden bowls, spades, ladles and baskets, among other objects. The above makes La Draga one of the leading sites for the study of the Neolithic Age in Europe.
