Genetic analysis of 7,000 year old preserved goat leather from Cueva de los Murciélagos (Albuñol, Spain)

ABSTRACT

Advances in ancient DNA research have expanded the range of materials from which genetic information can be recovered, enabling the analysis of atypical materials. These often preserve both host and exogenous DNA, for example due to handling or native microbes, offering a window into past diversity. Here we report one such exceptional material: a well-preserved goat leather specimen from Cueva de los Murciélagos (Albuñol, Spain), associated with an Early Neolithic context. Archaeozoological analyses show clear evidence of tanning and anthropogenic modification of the skin, while radiocarbon dating confirms it to be ∼7,250-7,000 years old. We generated genome-wide data from the leather (Murciélagos1) and demonstrated that it derives from a domestic goat of European ancestry. Comparisons with modern goats show highest affinity to the Bermeya breed from northern Spain, demonstrating genetic connectivity in goat herds from the Neolithic to present day Iberia. We additionally recover fragmented DNA from the leather deriving from human and canid sources, the former likely reflecting handling/wearing of the leather and the latter indicating post-depositional disturbance. Murciélagos1 represents one of the oldest nuclear genome data from organic remains outside of high altitude, high latitude regions, and demonstrates the value of ancient DNA analysis in exceptional cases of organic preservation.