Early Evidence of Bear Exploitation
Archaeologists found cut marks on a 300,000-year-old cave bear paw. Early evidence of the use of bear fur as clothing.
300,000-Year-Old Cut Marks Discovered
Archaeologists in Germany have discovered some of the earliest evidence for the use of clothing.
Newly discovered cut marks on a cave bear paw suggest that the prehistoric animals were skinned for their fur approximately 300,000 years ago.
The discovery in Schöningen, northern Germany, is particularly exciting because, despite depictions of cave people wrapped in furs, very little is known about how early humans clothed their bodies and survived harsh winters.
Furs, leather and other organic materials generally do not survive longer than 100,000 years, meaning there is very little direct evidence for prehistoric clothing.
«The study» is important because we know relatively little about how people in the deep past protected themselves from the elements. From this early period there are only a handful of sites that provide evidence of bear skinning, with Schöningen providing the most complete picture,» says study author Ivo Verheijen, a doctoral candidate at the University of Tübingen.
Cave Bear Fur as Clothing
Cave bears were large animals, roughly the size of polar bears, which became extinct approximately 25,000 years ago. The cave bear’s fur, consisting of 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 of Human Evolution.
The clothing likely consisted of hides wrapped around the body without elaborate tailoring. The eyed needles required for sewing more intricate patterns did not appear in the archaeological record until approximately 45,000 years ago.
«We found the cut marks on elements of the hands and feet where there is very little flesh or fat on the bones, which argues against the cut marks originating from butchering the animal», explained Verheijen.
The Schöningen site
The Schöningen site in Germany is best known for the discovery of the oldest known wooden weapons: nine throwing spears, a thrusting lance and two throwing sticks, used to kill prey animals 300’000 years ago.
Genetic studies of lice suggest that clothing lice diverged from their ancestors, human head lice, at least 83’000 years ago and possibly as early as 170’000 years ago, indicating that humans wore clothing before the major migrations out of Africa.
«The highly insulating properties of bear hides and the fact that the hides are more flexible when properly treated make bear hides far more suitable for clothing than other large herbivores», said Verheijen.
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