Two fragments of worked animal hide found in the Cueva de los Murciélagos in southern Granada date to around 7,200 years ago, making them the oldest known leather, according to a study published in PLOS ONE. Archaeological and genetic analyses also shed light on the arrival of domestic goats in the Iberian Peninsula.

The fragments were recovered from stones in a wall built by 19th-century miners inside the cave. The site had served as a burial place from around 9,500 years ago until the Bronze Age, but mining disturbed its graves and displaced many of the human remains and burial goods. Researchers found the hide pieces among material left in one of the miners’ walls.

Radiocarbon dating established their age, while examination of the material showed signs of processing and working. The researchers say the hide had been in contact with a buried person, whose Ancient DNA was detected on it. They suggest it may have formed part of a chest protector used by an archer. The cave has also yielded what the source describes as Europe’s oldest remains of bows and arrows.

Genetic analysis identified the animal skin as coming from domestic goats, rather than wild ibex. The researchers link the goats to populations from Anatolia, in present-day Turkey. Goat herding had begun in the central Zagros Mountains of Iran around 10,200 to 9,600 years ago, while farming and animal husbandry reached the Iberian Peninsula around 7,700 to 7,600 years ago. The hide therefore came from goats already being raised in the region.

Comparisons with ancient and modern goat DNA indicate that many Iberian breeds retain some ancestry from these early herds, though later genetic contributions from Africa may have weakened that signal. The study identifies a particularly strong connection with the Bermeya breed, which survives in Asturias. Co-author Kevin Daly cautioned that the limited DNA preserved in the hide makes firm conclusions difficult, but said the breed appears to retain a genetic link to goats that first reached the peninsula.

Sources: El País Ciencia.