Stone Age humans wore cave bear skins 300,000 years ago

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(CNN) -- 

German archaeologists have uncovered some of the oldest evidence of clothing use: Newly discovered cut marks on a cave bear's paw suggest these prehistoric animals were skinned for their skin around 300,000 years ago. years.

Detail of the precise and fine cut marks on the bone of the cave bear's paw.

Credit: Volker Minkus

The discovery at Schöningen, in northern Germany, is interesting because, despite depictions of fur-clad cavemen and women in popular culture, very little is known about how early humans dressed and survived. harsh winters.

Fur, leather, and other organic materials rarely survive for more than 100,000 years, meaning direct evidence for prehistoric clothing is scant.

Cave bears could measure more than three meters.

Credit: Benoit Clarys

"The study is significant because we know relatively little about how humans protected themselves from the elements in the deep past. From this very early period, only a handful of archaeological sites remain that show evidence of bear skinning, with Schöningen offering the most insight. fuller picture," explains Ivo Verheijen, study author and PhD student at the University of Tübingen, Germany.

Cave bears were large animals, about the size of a polar bear, that became extinct about 25,000 years ago.

The cave bear's fur, which has long outer hairs that form an airy protective layer and short, dense hairs that provide good insulation, was suitable for making simple clothing or bedding, according to the study published in the journal academic Journal Of Human Evolution on December 23.

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Clothing probably consisted of skins that were wrapped around the body without elaborate tailoring.

The eyed needles needed to sew more intricate designs did not appear in the archaeological record until about 45,000 years ago.

Artist's impression of Stone Age humans wearing cave bear skins to protect themselves from the cold.

Credit: Benoit Clarys

"We found the cut marks on hand/foot elements where there is very little meat or fat on the bones, which rules out that the cut marks came from dismembering the animal," Verheijen explained by email.

"In contrast, in these places, the skin is much closer to the bone, making it inevitable to mark the bone when skinning an animal."

The Schöningen site in Germany is famous above all for the discovery of the oldest known wooden weapons: nine harpoons, one spear and two clubs, which were used to kill game 300,000 years ago.

It is difficult to determine exactly when the clothing began to be used.

The cave bear paw bone bore detailed cut marks.

Credit: Volker Minkus

Genetic studies in head lice indicate that clothing lice diverged from their ancestors found on the human scalp at least 83,000 years ago and possibly 170,000 years ago, suggesting that humans wore clothing before the great migrations out of Africa.

Bone tools found in what is now Morocco suggest that humans processed animal skins between 90,000 and 120,000 years ago.

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"We have discovered numerous remains of other animals with cut marks in Schöningen, such as horses and aurochs, with cut marks related to skinning. However, the highly insulating properties of bear skins, together with the fact that the skins are more flexible when properly treated, makes bearskins much more suitable for clothing than those of other large herbivores," Verheijen said.

The climate at the site 300,000 years ago was "more or less similar to today," with average temperatures between 2 degrees warmer and 2 degrees cooler than today, Verheijen added.

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