When did humans start wearing clothes?

In the year 1913, the seasoned archaeologist William Matthews Flinders Petrie found himself in the arid landscapes of the Tarkin cemetery in Egypt. Frustration gripped him as he led excavations, yet his curiosity sparked upon the discovery of a mysterious tomb nearby. Eagerly, he unsealed the tomb only to be met with disappointment – an emptied space, save for five calite jars, two wooden tool handles, a small pot lid, and a heap of soiled linen.

However, amidst the seemingly mundane pile of dirty linen lay an extraordinary find, one that would remain unrecognized for over six decades. Fast forward to 1977, when museum conservators sifting through Petrie's dusty discoveries stumbled upon an astonishing artifact – a remarkably well-preserved linen dress, now known as the Tarkin dress. Dated to nearly 5,500 years old in 2015, it stands as the oldest recovered clothing in human history.

The question of when humanity first adorned itself with garments is a captivating puzzle. While it's intuitive to assume that clothing has been a part of human history since time immemorial, finding tangible evidence is a daunting task. Ancient clothing, often fragile, rarely survives the ravages of time in the archaeological record. However, a few intriguing discoveries provide glimpses into our distant sartorial past.

Venturing back to 9,000 years ago at the site of Çatalhöyük in Turkey, excavations unveiled fragments of woven textiles. Initially identified as wool, subsequent analysis in the 1980s and 2000s revealed their plant fiber origin, likely flax. A reexamination in 2017 identified them as Bast fibers from tree bark, pushing the timeline for clothing usage back to approximately 8,500 years ago – a staggering 3,000 years before the Tarkin dress.

Yet, the quest for ancient clothing delves even deeper. In the dark recesses of the Tsodilo Cave in Georgia, archaeologists uncovered a trove of flax fiber fragments, some spun and dyed in various colors. Dating back a staggering 30,000 years, these fibers hint at a sophisticated local industry producing vibrant textiles and clothing, challenging preconceptions about the antiquity of our sartorial endeavors.

However, clothing is not merely the end product hanging in a store; it's a culmination of processes. In a cave in South Africa's Sibudu, archaeologists unearthed bone tools, including a fragmented needle with a delicately thin point, believed to pierce animal hides for clothing. This needle, dating back approximately 61,000 years, offers a tangible link to the early stages of clothing production.

Yet, the story doesn't stop with completed garments or tools. An unexpected chapter emerges from an unwelcome resident – lice. By studying the divergence of human head lice and body lice, scientists infer the likely emergence of body lice around 83,000 to 170,000 years ago. This provides a unique perspective, suggesting that Homo sapiens were wearing clothing long before the discovery of physical garments.

As we contemplate the origins of attire, the spotlight turns to our enigmatic cousins, the Neanderthals. Debate surrounds their adaptation to clothing, with evidence pointing to stone scrapers used for processing animal hides, possibly for clothing draped akin to capes. Animal bone surveys at Neanderthal sites hint at the species used for cold-weather clothing, paralleling practices among early humans.

The story of ancient clothing is an ongoing excavation, where each discovery weaves a richer tapestry of our past. While much remains unknown, the evidence, whether from linen tombs, woven fibers, bone needles, or unexpected guests like lice, paints a vivid picture of humanity's enduring quest for comfort, protection, and expression across the ages. As researchers continue to push the boundaries of discovery, who knows what the next thread of evidence might reveal about our timeless fascination with attire.