An interdisciplinary investigation of archaeological remains found in the Cueva de Los Murciélagos (Albuñol, Granada) allowed us to find the oldest remains of a bow in Spain, about 7,000 years old. These pieces demonstrate the sophistication of archery equipment from the Ancient Neolithic in the Iberian Peninsulawith unpublished information in the European context on the materials and manufacturing techniques used.
In the study published in Scientific Reports (Nature group) Several institutions have participated. Among its participants are researchers from the University of Alcalá (UAH) such as Francisco Martínez Sevilla, and members of the Institute of Heritage Sciences (INCIPIT-CSIC), the UAB Institute of Environmental Science and Technology (ICTA-UAB), as well as the University of the Côte d’Azur and the CNRS, of France, led by the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB).
What has allowed us to identify the remains of the oldest arch in Spain
The exceptional conservation of the organic remains, which have been preserved by drying, has allowed the identification and document elements of the archery equipment of the Neolithic populations that inhabited the southwest of the peninsula about 7,000 years ago. Among the findings are arrows preserved with their original feathers, fiber remains and two bowstrings made from animal tendons, which are the oldest found so far in Europe.
“The identification of these bowstrings marks a crucial step in the study of Neolithic weaponry. Not only have we been able to confirm the use of animal tendons to manufacture them, we have also been able to identify the genus or species of animal from which they come,” explains Ingrid Bertin, UAB researcher and first author of the published article.
Tendons were used in the manufacture of the bow. Capra sp. (genus that includes several species of goats and ibexes), of Their sp. (genus to which wild boar and pig belong) and roe deer, which were twisted together to create ropes of sufficient length. “With this technique it was possible to manufacture strong and flexible ropesin order to meet the needs of experienced archers. This degree of precision and technical mastery, where every detail counts, attests to the exceptional knowledge of these Neolithic artisans,” says Raquel Piqué, researcher at the Department of Prehistory at the UAB and coordinator of the study.
Information about the vegetation of the area
The arrow shafts, for their part, provide new information about the use of local resources and their careful transformation. For the first time, analysis has revealed the use of olive wood (European oils) and cane (Phragmites sp).
The use of reeds for the manufacture of arrows in Prehistoric Europe, a hypothesis considered by researchers for decades, is finally confirmed by these discoveries. Furthermore, it highlights the combination of olive wood, willow and canewhich represents a particularly interesting selection of materials.
Finally, the shafts of the arrows were coated with birch pitch, a material obtained through controlled heat treatment of the bark of this tree, used not only for its protective properties, but also, probably, decorative, which adds an aesthetic and functional dimension to the equipment.
Since the early Neolithic, populations have developed technical knowledge that attests to impressive adaptation to local resources, but the combination of varied materials and advanced assembly techniques identified in this study redefines our understanding of the technologies used by prehistoric communities and offers a new perspective on the Neolithic societies of the region, highlights the research team.
A new perspective on the use of materials in Prehistory
These findings contribute to enrich the understanding of the craft practices and daily life of prehistoric societies. and provide a better knowledge of the symbolic sphere linked to these trousseaus from a funerary context, such as that of La Cueva de Los Murciélagos. The discoveries made in this cave, the research team concludes, redefine the limits of our knowledge about Europe’s early agricultural societies and offer a unique look at the ancestral materials and practices of archery.
The study of the archaeological remains has been carried out by applying advanced microscopy and biomolecular analysis techniques, which combine protein and lipid analysis.
The research has been carried out within the framework of the CHEMARCH project (MSCA-ITN-EJD, The chemistry and molecular biology of prehistoric artefacts) funded by the European Union Horizon 2020 program, and has had the participation of the ICTA-UAB, the University of Alcalá, the INCIPIT-CSIC, the University of Córdoba, the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canarias, the University of the Côte d’Azur and the CNRS (France).
It has also been carried out within the framework of the project From museums to territory: updating the study of the Bat Cave of Albuñol (Granada) (MUTERMUR), financed by the Community of Madrid and the University of Alcalá. The objective of this project is the holistic study of the site and its material record, applying the latest archaeometric techniques and generating quality scientific data. The project also had the collaboration of the National Archaeological Museum, the Archaeological and Ethnological Museum of Granada, the Albuñol City Council and the owners of the cave.
