Scientists show shoes worn by people 6200 years ago (photo)
Unique ancient objects were found in a bat cave in Spain. In particular, 6200-year-old shoes and 9500-year-old baskets were found.
According to the Live Science newsletter, these items were probably created by Mesolithic hunter-gatherer societies. The finds are now considered to be among the oldest artifacts of their kind found in southern Europe.
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According to a study conducted this summer and published in the journal Science Advances, the cave, known as Cueva de los Murciélagos ("Cave of the Bats"), is located in Granada in southern Spain. It contained 76 objects made using organic materials such as wood, reeds, and esparto (a perennial grass native to Spain).
This study leads to new conclusions about what types of crafts were practiced by Mesolithic hunter-gatherer societies in the past. In particular, the researchers emphasize that this collection of baskets reveals evidence that they were produced by people of this period, more than a thousand years before the advent of agriculture.
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Francisco Martínez-Sevilla, lead author of the study and a lecturer in prehistory at the University of Alcalá near Madrid, said: "The biggest discovery was the age of the baskets, which was a big surprise. Before that, researchers thought that basketry was a Neolithic element, but now we know that people were making baskets earlier."
The level of detail of the baskets was very high for the time, and some of them contained intricate geometric decorations and were made using human hair and pigments.
The researchers noted that the bat cave is characterized by low humidity and a dry climate, which is conducive to the preservation of organic materials for thousands of years. Following this discovery, the researchers also hope to conduct further studies and determine the age and gender of the humans whose remains were also found in the cave.
This study reveals new details about the crafts and cultural heritage of the ancient inhabitants of this area and emphasizes the importance of archaeology in uncovering and reconstructing past civilizations.
As a reminder, a 4000-year-old tomb was found in India.
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