Archaic Tailoring? Discovered 13,000-year-old sewing needles reveal Ice Age humans sewed winter garments.
In a groundbreaking discovery, a team of archaeologists led by Thomas Plunket and Christopher Rodning have found evidence suggesting that Paleoindians in North America crafted bone needles for clothing, potentially paving the way for their migration to colder latitudes and the settlement of the entire American continent.
The findings were made at the La Prele Mammoth site in Wyoming, a significant archaeological site preserving traces of Paleoindians who butchered a Columbian mammoth around 13,000 years ago. The needles, made from the bones of animals such as hares, rabbits, bobcats, mountain lions, foxes, lynx, and potentially the extinct American cheetah, were discovered among the remains.
The discovery challenges the long-held belief that the use of sewing technology was a late development in human history. The study, published in PLOS ONE, suggests that the use of these needles could have enabled Paleolithic people to migrate northwards towards colder climates and eventually settle the remainder of the Americas.
Foragers, including Paleoindians, used animal products for more than just food, as detailed in the study. Equipped with warm clothing, modern humans had the capacity to expand their range to previously inhospitable environments.
The team used mass spectrometry, micro-CT scanning, and chemical composition analysis to identify the species of the bones. The oldest known needle was discovered in Siberia in 2016, dating back 50,000 years, suggesting that Paleoindians who migrated to North America from Siberia during the last Ice Age may have used needles to make warm garments much earlier than the time period indicated by the bone fragments in Wyoming.
The study serves as some of the most detailed evidence yet discovered for Paleoindian garments. It is also the first to identify the species and likely elements from which Paleoindians produced eyed bone needles.
The artifacts from the La Prele Mammoth site in Wyoming indirectly point to the development of clothing technology among Paleoindians. The technology of making needles from animal bones may have played a significant role in the migration and settlement of the Americas by Paleoindians.
The ability to produce warm clothing may have been a crucial factor in the migration and settlement of the Americas by Paleoindians. The discovery of these needles and the oldest known bead in the Americas provides insights into the cultural innovations of Paleoindians and their impact on global human dispersal.
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