Humans began wearing leather 40,000 years ago: study

By Mark Waghorn via SWNS

Humans began wearing leather 40,000 years ago - during the last Ice Age, according to new research.

A prehistoric bone with strange indentations shows it was used for punching holes in the hardy animal skin.

Our primitive ancestors made clothes to help them survive the cold.

Lead author Dr. Luc Doyon, of Bordeaux University in France, said: "We do not have much information about clothes because they're perishable.

"They are an early technology we're in the dark about."

The hip bone, possibly from a bison, was found at a site called Terrasses de la Riera dels Canyars near Barcelona in Spain.

It has 28 puncture marks on its flat surface - including a sequence of 10 holes about five millimeters apart. The others are positioned more randomly.

The pattern was described as "intriguing." It didn't seem to be a decoration or to represent a counting tally - the usual explanations for such old objects.

Microscopic analysis revealed the main line was made by the same tool while the other dents were produced on different occasions - with separate devices.

The international team used a technique called experimental archaeology in which you try out ancient tools to see how the marks were made.

Dr. Doyon said: "We're attempting to replicate the gestures used by prehistoric people to produce a specific modification on the bone."

The only way they found to recreate the type of indents on the bone was to knock a chisel-like stone tool called a burin through a thick hide - a method known as indirect percussion.

Cobblers still use it to pierce leather today, reports New Scientist.

Dr. Doyon and colleagues believe the holes were made when making or repairing leather items.

After punching a hole in the animal hide a thread could be pushed through the material with a pointed tool to make a tight seam.

It would have been a crucial cultural adaptation that helped modern humans expand to new regions.

The modern leather jacket - once seen as a sign of rebellion against authority - has become a staple of the fashion industry.

Dr. Ian Gilligan, of Sydney University who was not involved in the study, said: "It's a very significant discovery.

"We have no direct evidence for clothes in the Pleistocene so finding any indirect evidence is valuable.

"The oldest surviving fragments of cloth in the world date from around 10,000 years ago."

It also helps solve a mystery about when people started making fitted clothes.

Homo sapiens reached Europe some 42,000 years ago. Eyed needles haven't been found in this region from earlier than around 26,000 years ago.

They aren't strong enough to repeatedly puncture leather.

Dr. Gilligan said: "The location and date are interesting - southern Europe nearly 40,000 years ago.

"That's quite soon after the arrival of Homo sapiens - during some rapid cold swings in the climate.

"It's when and where we'd expect our ancestors to need good clothes for protection."

Brown leather jackets were first introduced in the early 1900s for military use. Members of the military would wear them with sheepskin linings for warmth and comfort at high altitudes.

It's where Aviator and Bomber-style jackets originate from.

Marlon Brando was the first actor to wear a leather jacket on the big screen, in The Wild One - catapulting it into popular culture.

James Dean was also seen wearing a leather jacket - cementing it as a fashion choice of those wanting to rebel.

Steve McQueen - aka Captain Virgil Hilts in The Great Escape - was the epitome of cool in the 1960s. He was rarely seen without his aviator-style jacket and shades.

As a result, the trend quickly caught on. The Beatles were also known to regularly sport leather jackets.