A set of baskets and shoes were discovered in a bat cave in Granada, in the southern part of Spain. They were most likely made by Mesolithic hunter-gatherer groups and are thought to be some of the oldest items of their kind found in southern Europe, according to a new study.
Radiocarbon dating was done on the artifacts this summer. They are now at the National Archaeological Museum in Madrid. According to a study published Sept. 27 in the journal Science Advances, the 76 objects were made from natural materials like wood, reeds, and esparto, a perennial grass that grows naturally in Spain. They were found by miners working in the Cueva de los Murciélagos (“Bat Cave”) cave system in the 1800s.
The grass boots were found to be 6,200 years old, which makes them the oldest shoes ever found in this part of Europe. The grass-made baskets were even older, at about 9,500 years old. According to a statement, they are the “first direct evidence” that Mesolithic (also called Middle Stone Age) hunter-gatherers made baskets.
“The most surprising thing we learned was how old the baskets were,” said Francisco Martínez-Sevilla, lead author of the study and prehistory professor at the University of Alcalá near Madrid. “There were hunter-gatherers before farming came along.” Researchers used to think that basketry was a Neolithic skill, but now we know that people were making baskets before the Neolithic.
Intricate Ancient Baskets Perfectly Preserved in Spanish Cave
Martínez-Sevilla said that the level of detail used to make the baskets was very high for the time. Some of the baskets had very complicated geometric designs, dyed fibres, and ornaments made from human hair and pigments.
Martínez-Sevilla said, “Some of the baskets had leather pieces on them that were used to hang them up.” “The craftsmanship was very complex.”
The artefacts were very well kept even though they were thousands of years old. This may have been because of how the cave was set up and how dry it was inside.
“We don’t know for sure why this happened, but there are some clues within the cave,” Martinez-Sevilla said. “There is almost no moisture inside the cave, making it very dry.” A narrow tunnel faces north, which lets a dry, cold wind blow in. This wind enters the upper part of the cave and blows through it. It’s the best way to keep organic products fresh.
Along with the shoes and baskets, the miners also found tools and the bones of people who had died.
“Some of the human bodies were mummified, and 13 individuals were collected,” he stated. “We hope to conduct further study to determine their age and sex by radiocarbon-dating their remains in the future.”
