Researchers have successfully recovered ancient mitochondrial and nuclear DNA from a 7,000-year-old tanned goat leather fragment discovered in Cueva de los Murciélagos located in Albuñol, Granada, Spain. Radiocarbon dating and surface analysis confirm the specimen dates back to approximately 5,000 BCE and provides direct evidence of Early Neolithic animal hide processing and craftsmanship. The study, led by Jolijn A. M. Erven of University College Dublin and published in the journal PLOS One on November 4, 2026, reveals a direct genetic link between the prehistoric specimen and modern goat breeds living in Spain today, specifically the Bermeya goat breed of northern Spain. This indicates that a related genetic lineage has persisted on the Iberian Peninsula for seven millennia. Despite warmer regional conditions that typically accelerate the degradation of organic genetic material, multidisciplinary researchers successfully extracted both maternal and biparental DNA. The genetic analysis confirmed the leather originated from a domestic goat rather than a wild Iberian ibex, offering crucial insights into prehistoric animal husbandry and human-animal interactions. Interestingly, the ancient DNA showed no evidence of African genetic ancestry, which is commonly found in modern European goats. This finding suggests that significant genetic exchanges involving African goat populations occurred after the Neolithic period, though further research is required to map the exact timeline of these prehistoric interactions between Iberia and Africa.
