This 39,600-year-old bone fragment has holes that were probably made by piercing the leather.
F. De Errico and L. Doyoung
Analysis of a 39,600-year-old bone containing bizarre indentations reveals how it was claimed to have been used as a punchboard for punching holes in leather clever person At that time in Europe, clothes were made to survive the cold weather.
“Clothes are perishable, so there isn’t much information,” says Luc Doyon of the University of Bordeaux in France, who led the study. “They are early technologies that we are in the dark for.”
The hipbones of large mammals such as horses and bison were found at a site called Terras de la Riera dels Cañals, near Barcelona, Spain. On the flat side he has 28 holes, of which 10 his holes are linearly spaced about 5 mm from each other, as well as other holes at more random positions. it is open.
The pattern was “very intriguing,” says Doyon. Because it didn’t seem to represent a tally of decorations or counts. This is the usual explanation for the intentional pattern of lines and dots on prehistoric objects. Microscopic analysis revealed that the 10 indentation lines were made by one of his tools, and the other points were made by his five different tools at different times. “Why are there different types of placements on the same bone?” says Doyoung.
Researchers used an approach called experimental archaeology. This approach involves experimenting with various ancient tools to see how the marks were made. “We’re trying to recreate the gestures that prehistoric people used to make certain modifications to their bones,” he says.
They found that the only way to recreate the type of dents found in the bones of canyar is to pierce the thick skin with a flea-like stone tool called a burin. The same method is still used in modern cobblers and traditional societies to make holes in leather.
The most likely explanation for the dents is that they were made during the manufacture or repair of leather goods, researchers say. was pushed into the material to create a tight seam, says Doyon.
“This is a very important finding,” says Ian Gilligan of the University of Sydney, Australia. “There is no direct evidence for Pleistocene clothing, so finding indirect evidence is worthwhile. The oldest pieces of cloth in the world are about 10,000 years old.”
This discovery helps solve the mystery of the emergence of fitted clothes. clever person Although it reached Europe about 42,000 years ago, no eye stingers older than about 26,000 years ago have been found in this region and are not strong enough to repeatedly puncture thick leather. to fit them.
“The knowledge of making clothes that fit without bone needles is something we didn’t have access to before,” says Doyon.
“The places and dates are interesting. Southern Europe is about 40,000 years old,” says Gilligan. “It will be soon after their arrival. clever person, during some extreme cold snaps in the climate. When and where did our ancestors need good clothes to protect themselves? ”
Doyoung and his colleagues argue that this punchboard exhibits a significant cultural adaptation to climate change, helping modern humans expand into new regions.
The punchboard was one of six artifacts found at the Caignard site, they say, and may have been part of a repair kit.
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