How do Anthropologists know anything about the clothing of the Stone Age people?

Question

Since clothing does not leave a fossil record

Answer 1

Actually. clothing has been found in Egyptian mummies as well as on fossil remains under certain circumstances. One was found preserved on a man who died on the ice tundra and then was frozen before total decomposition.

Answer 2

Stone age is talking about Neolithic which are Neanderthal and Cro-Magnon - 20,000 - 50,000 years old- we are talking more about actual skeletons and not fossils. There has actually been DNA fragments extracted from Neanderthal skeletons. So there have been clothing and other artifacts preserved - like the presence of flower pollen in their graves showing they buried the dead with flowers.

Going back to the older Homo erectus and such we do have only fossils and stone tools for the record.

Answer 3

While clothing most often deteriorates it does in some instances leave what is called an imprint fossil. This gives scientists the ability to propose theories as to what this clothing looks like. They also compare present day tribal societies that still use primitive clothing and weapons and compare this clothing to imprint fossils.

Answer 4

For example, they interpret drawings in caves from that time. Also, they examine if there are any sort of written records at all. Very primitive culture did had some sort of writing codes.

But if this isn't enough. There have been plenty of bodies found frozen allover th world. Like in the Pireneos in Italy or the Himalayas in Asia. These bodies were so well preserved, they even had their arrows and bows with them and of course their entire fashion style.

Answer 5

Certain deductions can be made from the nature of tools available to Stone Age people. Not too many textile presses lying around the caves! Combine this with an understanding of the climate in various regions in which they lived and the answer, dear Watson, is elementary.

Answer 6

Sometimes remains are found with clothing or other times it may have decayed, but the fibers may remain. Not only can the fibers tell you what they made their clothes out of, but it can also tell you what plants they made their clothing out of. Tiniest piece of pollen or fiber can tell you a lot of things.