Ephemeral materiality arising from the darkness: Medieval wooden crafts from Hoyo de los Herreros cave (Cantabria, Spain)

•Wooden crafts recovered from caves provide a unique opportunity to address the role of these ephemeral material culture during the Medieval period.•The combination of archaeobotanical and archaeoentomological analyses demonstrates their relevance in the refinement of the understanding of biological processes of wood decay.•The wooden bowls were probably part of the funerary rite as part of the offerings or personal items of the deceased, perhaps other rituals performed and chance use of the cave.