Archaeologists from the University of Sydney say eyelets were a new innovation used to decorate clothing for social and cultural purposes, and mark a major shift in clothing from protection to an expression of identity. Dr Ian Gilligan.

Archaeologists have traditionally associated the emergence of tailored clothing with the invention of the eye needle, made from bone.

The first occurrence of eyed needles in the archaeological record from northern mid-latitude environments during the last glacial period is consistent with their primary function of providing thermal protection.

of The oldest eyed needle They appeared in Siberia by 40,000 years ago, in the Caucasus by 38,000 years ago, in East Asia by 30,000 years ago, and in Europe by 26,000 years ago.

“Eye hook tools are an important prehistoric development because they record a shift in the function of clothing from utilitarian to social purposes,” Dr Gilligan said.

“From stone tools that allowed humans to craft animal hides for insulation, to bone awls and awls to create decorative, form-fitting clothing, why did we start wearing clothes to express ourselves and impress others?”

In the new paper, Dr Gilligan and his colleagues reinterpret the evidence from recent discoveries about the development of clothing.

“Why do we wear clothes? We think it's part of being human. But when we look at different cultures we see that people were able to fully exist and function in society without clothes,” Dr Gilligan said.

“What intrigues me is how clothing has moved from being a physical necessity in certain environments to being a social necessity in all environments.”

“One of the most iconic Paleolithic artifacts of the Stone Age, eyed needles, are difficult to make compared to bone awls, which were sufficient to make tight-fitting clothing.”

“A bone awl is a tool made from a sharpened animal bone.”

“An eyed needle is a modified bone awl with a perforated hole (eye) to facilitate the attachment of tendons and threads.”

“There is evidence that bone awls were already being used to make tailored clothing, so the invention of the eyed needle may have reflected the creation of more complex, layered garments, and the attachment of beads and other small ornaments to decorate garments.”

“We know that up until the last Ice Age, clothing was only used on an ad-hoc basis.”

“The classic tools that we associate with it are hide scraping tools and stone scraping tools, and we see that they appeared and disappeared at different stages during the last Ice Age.”

The researchers argue that traditional methods of body decoration, such as body painting with ochre or deliberate scarring, would have been impossible in the cold regions of Eurasia during the late last Ice Age, where people would have needed to wear clothes at all times to survive, so clothing became a decorative item.

“That's why the appearance of needles with eyes is particularly significant, as it shows that clothing was used as decoration,” Dr Gilligan said.

“Needles with eyes would have been especially useful for the very fine stitching required to decorate clothing.”

Clothing therefore evolved to serve not only the practical needs of protection against the external elements and comfort, but also social and aesthetic functions for individual and cultural identity.

“The regular wearing of clothing allowed larger and more complex societies to form. People migrated to areas with colder climates and at the same time were able to work together in tribes and communities based on common clothing styles and symbols.”

“The technologies associated with clothing production have contributed to more sustainable lifestyles, facilitating the long-term survival and prosperity of human societies.”

Team paper Published in the journal Scientific advances.

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Ian Gilligan others2024. The evolution of Paleolithic eyed needles and clothing. Scientific advances 10(26); doi: 10.1126/sciadv.adp2887