Fibre-based technologies of the Last Hunter-gatherers and First Farmers in southern Europe: Baskets, cords and footwear from the Cueva de los Murciélagos site (Albuñol, Granada)

Material culture made of organic components provides invaluable insights into the craftsmanship, technological innovation and resource adaptations of prehistoric societies. However, its perishable nature has often limited our understanding of its diverse and complex applications. Sites with exceptional preservation conditions offer unique opportunities for in-depth studies of perishable material culture. One such example is the Cueva de los Murciélagos site, Granada Province, in southern Iberia, which has yielded some of the oldest, most extensive and best-preserved fibre-based objects known from the last hunter-gatherer and first farming communities in southern Europe. This study re-examines the organic fibre-based materials – of both plant and animal derivation – through a multi-proxy investigation using microscopy and biomolecular methods. The results reveal the use of esparto grass leaves and sinews from three different animal species to produce funerary and everyday objects. The site’s discoveries illuminate what have been termed ›invisible technologies‹ in archaeology, broadening our understanding of the ingenuity and resourcefulness of these early Early and Middle Holocene societies.