The video explores the origins of clothing, which is difficult to determine due to the fragile nature of ancient textiles. The oldest known garment is the 5,500-year-old Tarkhan dress, but evidence of clothing use dates back to around 8,500 years ago. Indirect evidence, such as bone tools and flax fibers, suggests that clothing may have been used as far back as 30,000 years ago. The presence of body lice, which live on clothing, indicates that Homo sapiens may have worn clothing as far back as 170,000 years ago. Neanderthals also likely wore clothing, using animal hides and furs to keep warm. The video concludes that the origin of clothing is still a topic of research and debate, but it is clear that humans have been using clothing for thousands of years.
Here are the key facts extracted from the text:
1. In 1913, William Matthews found Petrie in Egypt.
2. Petrie was frustrated while leading excavations at the cemetery of Tarkin in Egypt.
3. Petrie discovered a tomb, but it was completely emptied except for a few items, including five calite jars, two wooden tool handles, a small pot lid, and a pile of dirty linen.
4. Within the pile of linen, Petrie found an extraordinary textile, now known as the Tarkin Dress.
5. In 1977, museum conservators found the Tarkin Dress while going through Petrie's collection.
6. The Tarkin Dress was dated to around 5,500 years old, making it the oldest known piece of clothing.
7. Excavations at the 9,000-year-old site of Çatalhöyük in Turkey found fragmented pieces of woven textiles.
8. These textiles were initially thought to be made of wool, but later analysis revealed they were made from plant fibers, specifically flax.
9. Reanalysis of the fibers in 2017 concluded that they were actually made from bast fibers, harvested from tree bark.
10. The use of clothing dates back to approximately 8,500 years ago.
11. Archaeologists have found evidence of clothing in the form of flax fiber fragments in the Zuguo Anna cave in Georgia.
12. Some of these fibers were spun, and at least one had several knots, suggesting they were being prepared for use.
13. The fibers found in the Zuguo Anna cave dated to approximately 30,000 years ago.
14. A needle found in the Sabodo cave in South Africa is believed to be one of the oldest pieces of evidence for clothing use, dating to around 61,000 years ago.
15. The earliest evidence of clothing for Homo sapiens may be from lice, specifically the body louse.
16. The body louse is believed to have originated at least 83,000 years ago and possibly as much as 170,000 years ago.
17. Neanderthals may have worn clothing, as evidence suggests they used animal hides for clothing.
18. Stone scrapers found at Neanderthal sites may have been used to scrape soft tissues off animal hide, which was then used as clothing.
19. A survey of animal bones found at Neanderthal sites suggests that they used wolves, foxes, and hares to make clothing.
20. Early humans and Neanderthals may have used similar species to create clothing for colder weather.