This thesis examines the preservation of organic materials at pile-dwelling sites in the Circum-Alpine region, prehistoric settlements built on lakeshores, in marshes and peat bogs between the Early Neolithic and the Late Bronze or Early Iron Age. Drawing on a review of domestic and international literature, the thesis first outlines the conditions that allow exceptional preservation of wood, textiles, leather, and plant and animal remains. The key factor is constant waterlogging of the sediment, which creates anoxic conditions and slows decay, together with redox potential, soil pH, sediment composition, and burial depth. It then presents the range of recovered organic artefacts by material category, from structural and tool-grade wood through textiles and leather to plant and animal remains, including coprolites as a source of information on diet and the health of past inhabitants. The final section addresses present-day threats to this heritage, natural degradation processes alongside anthropogenic ones such as wetland drainage, agriculture, tourism, and climate change, and the approaches used to protect it, with an emphasis on in situ preservation. The thesis shows that the preservation of organic materials results from the interplay of multiple physical, chemical, and biological factors rather than any single condition, and that individual categories of organic material differ considerably both in their degree of preservation and in the kind of information they can provide.
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