Sewing Needles Reveal the Roots of Fashion
Humans have crafted garments for more than 40,000 years — and prehistoric tools suggest that warmth wasn’t their only concern
By Jacob Pagano
The Inya River in southwestern Siberia winds through a landscape of striking seasonal changes. In the summer, crystal clear waters lap below alpine forests. As winter approaches, the river freezes, fierce snowstorms shroud the mountains, and temperatures plummet.
The climate becomes perilous to humans. But evidence of 50,000-year-old hunting tools suggests that Stone Age hunter-gatherers once inhabited the region. What was their secret to survival? Clothing.
Last year, in a cave above the Inya River’s middle reaches, scientists discovered 20,000-year-old sewing needles. Despite their prehistoric origin, the needles are sophisticated. Not only are they sharp enough to perforate thick animal hides, they possess a needle “eye,” which would have allowed early tailors to thread the needle and sew.
In a new study, published in the December issue of the Journal of Human Evolution, a team of researchers has pieced together what we know about prehistoric garment making using needle artifacts collected around the world, including from the site by the Inya…
