People first began to wear clothing made from animal skins about 300 thousand years ago, but it became a permanent attribute only 170 thousand years ago. Of course, no underwear existed then. However, it may also have appeared in the Stone Age during the last Ice Age. Moreover, according to the results of recent studies — It was first sewn in Siberia. Unlike other clothes, for the manufacture of which they used bone awls, ancient people sewed underwear using special needles with an eye.
Underwear may have appeared on the territory of modern Russia 40 thousand years ago
When people started wearing underwear
It is currently impossible to say exactly when underwear first appeared, since no samples of it remain. It is known that among the ancient Greeks its prototype was the tunic — a kind of sleeveless shirt woven from linen or wool. For the Romans, the tunic served as underwear, and for the Egyptians — loincloth.
The first written mention of panties dates back to the 14th century AD, and belongs to the Italian writer and poet Franco Sacchetti. In his writings, he spoke sarcastically about those people who “stick their butts in a tiny stocking (calcetto).” In fine art, panties were first depicted even later – in the 15th century. On the fresco “Fountain of Youth” you can see old men undressing and young men in shorts getting dressed.
Fresco «Fountain of Youth», which depicts young men in shorts. Photo source: wikimedia.org
According to some sources, underwear began to spread across Europe only in the 16th century, and these were men's underpants. Women's underpants first appeared in England only at the end of the 18th century. However, many historians argue that underpants, in the modern sense, did not exist until the 19th century. Until this time, men mostly made do with underpants or long johns, and women did not wear underwear at all.
But, it is quite possible that a certain prototype of it appeared much earlier than one might imagine – in the late Pleistocene, then there are about 40 thousand years ago. Moreover, the linen appeared, apparently, in the famous Denisovskaya cave, in which Denisovans, Neanderthals and modern people lived at different times.
40 thousand years ago, people began to use bone needles with an eye for sewing clothes. Photo source: iflscience.com
Underwear first appeared 40 thousand years ago?
As mentioned above, people began to wear clothes regularly about 170 thousand years ago. It is not known how exactly they sewed them, but scientists know for sure that 70 thousand years ago they used bone awls for this. They are quite simple to make, but at the same time they allowed sewing clothes from any animal skins.
However, about 40 thousand years ago, needles with an eye began to appear, the manufacture of which is much more labor-intensive. In their study, published in the journal Science Advances, scientists ask the question – why did people start making needles when awls were quite enough for sewing basic clothes from skins?
The researchers also point out that the emergence of a more complex sewing tool coincided with a sharp drop in global temperatures. According to the authors, people needed more layers of clothing. Eyed needles allowed them to sew “more sophisticated” clothing that was worn underneath the main one. In other words, people most likely began to sew a kind of underwear that allowed them to retain warm air near the skin’s surface, thus helping them to escape the cold.
As the study authors themselves say, the connection between eyelet needles and the physiological need for tight-fitting, thermally efficient clothing is obvious. Of course, such clothes had to be more neat and complex, so a new tool was required.
When fashion arose
Researchers also associate the emergence of fashion with the period when people had to warm themselves. The fact is that before the Ice Age, our ancestors expressed themselves by decorating the body. To do this, they used ocher, made tattoos on the body, and even specially applied scars. However, when the climate became colder, the body had to be hidden under clothing.
At the same time as underwear, fashion arose.
As a result, people began to use fashion. Needles also helped them in this, which marked the transition from the utilitarian functions of clothing to social ones. The thing is that decorating clothes also required more delicate sewing, and needles, unlike awls, coped with this task to the fullest. According to researchers, people could decorate their clothes with beads made from shells, and also used “fur trim.”
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Thus, the needles were used for two different purposes, but in fact, these purposes coincided. That is, the need for underwear led people to abandon “body art” and move on to decorating the more visible surface of clothing.