Ancient DNA from Spanish goat leather dates back 7000 years
Researchers published a study on Nov 4 2026 revealing that people in southern Spain made leather from domestic goats 7000 years ago.
Rare genetic sample found
Scientists recovered well-preserved DNA from a fragment of goat leather discovered at the Cueva de los Murciélagos burial site. The specimen was unearthed in southern Spain and shows signs of being tanned and perforated before burial.
Link to modern breeds
Analysis identified the genetic material as belonging to a domestic goat closely related to the Bermeya breed from northern Spain. This finding proves that Neolithic inhabitants used domestic animals instead of wild Iberian ibex for their products.
Study publication details
The research team included Jolijn A M Erven from University College Dublin in Ireland. Their work appeared in the journal PLOS One and highlights the difficulty of finding ancient DNA in warm regions.
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