7,000-year-old leather fragment reveals prehistoric origins of Spanish goats

Archaeologists have discovered a 7,000-year-old piece of goat leather in the Cueva de los Murciélagos, located in Albuñol, Granada. The find, published in the journal PLOS ONE, provides rare genetic evidence from the early Neolithic period in the Iberian Peninsula.

The leather fragment, which appears to have been part of a garment or protective covering, was intentionally perforated and tanned before being placed in a funerary setting. Due to the exceptional microclimatic conditions of the cave, the organic material survived, allowing researchers to extract DNA.

Findings indicate that early Neolithic humans in the region were already practicing established livestock farming with domestic animals rather than relying solely on hunting wild specimens. Furthermore, the genetic sequence demonstrates an uninterrupted biological continuity between these prehistoric goats and modern livestock breeds found in northern Spain today.