The earliest basketry in southern Europe: Hunter-gatherer and farmer plant-based technology in Cueva de los Murciélagos (Albuñol)

Martínez-Sevilla, Francisco; Herrero-Otal, Maria; Martín-Seijo, María; Santana, Jonathan; Lozano Rodríguez, José A.; Maicas Ramos, Ruth; Cubas, Miriam; Homs, Anna; Martínez Sánchez, Rafael M.; Bertin, Ingrid; Barroso Bermejo, Rosa; Bueno Ramírez, Primitiva; de Balbín Behrmann, Rodrigo; Palomo Pérez, Antoni; Álvarez-Valero, Antonio M.; Peña-Chocarro, Leonor; Murillo-Barroso, Mercedes; Fernández-Domínguez, Eva; Altamirano García, Manuel; Pardo Martínez, Rubén; Iriarte Cela, Mercedes; Carrasco Rus, Javier L.; Alfaro Giner, Carmen; Piqué Huerta, Raquel

Abstract

Plant material culture can offer unique insights into the ways of life of prehistoric societies; however, its perishable nature has prevented a thorough understanding of its diverse and complex uses. Sites with exceptional preservation of organic materials provide a unique opportunity for further research. The burial site of Cueva de los Murciélagos in southern Iberia, uncovered during 19th-century mining activities, contained the best-preserved hunter-gatherer basketry in southern Europe, together with other unique organic artifacts associated with the first farming communities, such as sandals and a wooden hammer. We present 14 14C dates for the perishable artifacts (N = 76), situating the assemblage between the Early and Middle Holocene (c. 7500 to 4200 cal BCE). Our integrated analysis includes raw material determination and technological and chrono-cultural contextualization of this unique and important set of materials.

Citation

Martínez-Sevilla, F., Herrero-Otal, M., Martín-Seijo, M., Santana, J., Lozano Rodríguez, J. A., Maicas Ramos, R., …Piqué Huerta, R. (2023). The earliest basketry in southern Europe: Hunter-gatherer and farmer plant-based technology in Cueva de los Murciélagos (Albuñol). Science Advances, 9(39), Article eadi3055. https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.adi3055

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Aug 18, 2023
• Online Publication Date: Sep 27, 2023
• Publication Date: Sep 29, 2023
• Deposit Date: Oct 10, 2023
• Publicly Available Date: Oct 10, 2023
• Journal: Science Advances
• Publisher: American Association for the Advancement of Science
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 9
• Issue: 39
• Article Number: eadi3055
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.adi3055
• Public URL: https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1788725