Albuñol’s Cueva de los Murciélagos Interior. Photo by Blas Ramos Rodríguez
A collaborative effort involving researchers from Universidad de Alcalá (UAH) and Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB) has unearthed and scrutinized the earliest known evidence of basket weaving among nomadic hunters and early agrarian groups in southern Europe, specifically in Albuñol’s Cueva de los Murciélagos, Granada, Spain.
Published in Science Advances, their study examined 76 artifacts fashioned from organic materials like wood, reed, and esparto, initially discovered during 19th-century mining in the said cave.
Carbon-14 dating of these artifacts places them in the early to middle Holocene era, approximately 9,500 to 6,200 years ago. This discovery provides the first concrete proof of Mesolithic hunter-gatherers’ basketry in southern Europe, alongside a distinct collection of organic tools from early Neolithic farmers, including sandals and a wooden mace.
Europe’s Oldest Mesolithic Baskets, 9,500 Years Old. Credit: MUTERMUR Project
Reevaluating Prehistoric Craftsmanship
Francisco Martínez Sevilla from the University of Alcalá’s Prehistory Department points out, “The esparto baskets’ new dating from Albuñol’s Cueva de los Murciélagos offers fresh insights into the late Holocene’s last hunter-gatherers. The intricate quality of these baskets challenges our basic notions about human societies before agriculture’s advent in southern Europe. This study positions Cueva de los Murciélagos as a crucial European site for analyzing prehistoric populations’ organic artifacts.”
Cueva de los Murciélagos: An Exceptional Archaeological Site
Situated near Granada’s coast, south of the Sierra Nevada and 2 km from Albuñol, the Cueva de los Murciélagos lies on Barranco de las Angosturas’ right flank, 450 meters above sea level, and 7 km from the current coastline.
This cave stands out in the Iberian Peninsula’s prehistoric archaeology for its exceptional preservation of organic materials, previously assumed to be exclusive to the Neolithic period.
Artistic Depiction of Mesolithic Hunter-Gatherers Using Baskets in Albuñol’s Cueva de los Murciélagos. Artist: Moisés Belilty Molinos, overseen by Francisco Martínez-Sevilla and Maria Herrero-Otal
19th-century mining unearthed objects made from perishable materials, later documented and retrieved by Manuel de Góngora y Martínez, eventually joining the National Archaeological Museum of Madrid’s initial collections.
Advanced Prehistoric Plant Fiber Techniques
María Herrero Otal, co-researcher and Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona member, notes, “the esparto items from Cueva de los Murciélagos represent southern Europe’s oldest and most well-preserved plant fiber collection. Their technological diversity and raw material processing showcase prehistoric communities’ expertise in this craft since at least 9,500 years ago, during the Mesolithic. Distinct techniques linked to hunter-gatherers were identified, while the Neolithic period (7,200 to 6,200 years ago) saw an expansion in esparto grass types and processing methods.”
Wooden Mace and Esparto Sandals from the Neolithic, 6,200 Years Ago (right). Credit: MUTERMUR Project
Part of the “De los museos al territorio: actualizando el estudio de la Cueva de los Murciélagos de Albuñol (Granada)” (MUTERMUR) project, this research received funding from the Community of Madrid and the Universidad de Alcalá.
The project aims for a comprehensive study of the site and its artifacts using modern archaeometric techniques to produce high-quality scientific data. It also involves the National Archaeological Museum, the Archaeological and Ethnological Museum of Granada, the Albuñol City Council, and the cave’s owners.
The authors emphasize, “This discovery of Europe’s oldest basketry adds further significance to Manuel de Góngora’s words in his 1868 work, Prehistoric Antiquities of Andalusia: ‘the now forever famous Cueva de los Murciélagos.’”
Reference: “The earliest basketry in southern Europe: Hunter-gatherer and farmer plant-based technology in Cueva de los Murciélagos (Albuñol)” by Francisco Martínez-Sevilla et al., 27 September 2023, Science Advances.
DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adi3055
The interdisciplinary team includes experts from various fields such as Prehistory, Geology, Physics-Chemistry, Carpology, and
Table of Contents
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about Prehistoric basketry
What is the significance of the recent discovery in Cueva de los Murciélagos, Albuñol?
The discovery in Cueva de los Murciélagos provides the first direct evidence of basket weaving by Mesolithic hunter-gatherers and early Neolithic farmers in southern Europe. It challenges previous assumptions about pre-agricultural societies and showcases advanced craftsmanship in working with plant fibers as early as 9,500 years ago.
How old are the artifacts found in the Cueva de los Murciélagos?
The artifacts, including baskets, sandals, and a wooden mace, date back to the early and middle Holocene period, between 9,500 and 6,200 years ago.
What materials were the ancient artifacts made of?
The artifacts were crafted from natural materials such as wood, reed, and esparto grass, demonstrating the technological diversity and skill in handling plant fibers.
What does this discovery reveal about prehistoric technology?
This discovery reveals that prehistoric communities had a sophisticated understanding and technological capability in crafting items from plant fibers, indicating a higher level of complexity in their societal and craft practices than previously understood.
Who conducted the research and where was it published?
The research was conducted by a team led by scientists from Universidad de Alcalá (UAH) and Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), and the findings were published in the journal Science Advances.
More about Prehistoric basketry
- Science Advances Article on Earliest Basketry
- Universidad de Alcalá’s Research on Prehistoric Technologies
- Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona’s Archaeological Studies
- National Archaeological Museum of Madrid’s Collections
- Holocene Period Discoveries in Archaeology
- Cueva de los Murciélagos: A Prehistoric Archaeological Insight
5 comments
I visited the Cueva de los Murciélagos once, its a stunning place. Didnt realize it had such historical importance, great to see it getting recognition.
Interesting article, but could use more pictures maybe? I always find archaeology a bit hard to picture in my head lol.
Its always fascinating to learn how advanced our ancestors were, makes you wonder what else is buried waiting to be discovered!
wow, this is amazing stuff. never knew they made baskets that long ago, thought it was all just hunting and gathering back then!
the dates seem a bit off? i read somewhere that the neolithic period started later than 6200 years ago… maybe they meant something else.