when did humans start wearing clothes?

Question

and why?

please do not refer to the bible when answering my questions, as i prefer real answers.

lady_chri...obviuosly i don't believe in that damn book, now either give real answers or don't post anything.

in case you all have not noticed, this is the Anthropology section not the religions section.

Answer 1

When they start to get chills from the weather! Or perhaps they wear some clothing is to go into the hunting party. I think I got that from Jean Auel's Cave Lion. =)

Answer 2

Here, here! The anthropology section is NOT the religion section. Clothing became a necessity as the Ice Age began about 100,000 years ago, during the Paleolithic. It was just too cold to go around naked. You can see the effects of about 100,000 years of going about naked--men have large penes (compared to other primates) and woman have large breasts. Funny how these attributes are usually selected for today--only they're not as obvious now.
Some people living in the tropics walked around nude until recently, which is a result of contact with clothes-wearing people.

Answer 3

I would imagine it was at or around the same time when they began using just more than a stick or a stone as a tool, and realized that it took a lot less time and work to hold on to a "tool" such as an animal skin or a really sharp piece of rock than to have to look for or make a new one. And even in the tropics you do feel chilly at night at times. If they migrated seasonally, or even just moved to the next valley, they would take their "tools" with them. I'm sure they only wore "clothes" when they felt cold - modesty is just another modern human affliction.

Answer 4

Silly pseudo-religious nonsense aside, clothing has nothing to do with "modesty". That's a good idea, for individual rights' advocates--freedom from unnecessary nakedness intruding on one's attention, and all; but the idea didn't occur to the early humans--it's a self-interested decision for individuals to make, and they did so, later on.
Basically, clothing is worn because it seems like a good idea to use it for some real reason. Leeping warm, keeping the sun from burning skin, protecting feet during walking, gloves for hands, etc.
A second reason is improving looks--like wearing earrings, necklaces, etc., decoration via clothing is something people learned to enjoy, very early.
The earliest clothing had to be made out of leaves and replaced,
often; weaving out of fibers other than grass or plant leaves came next. The earliest animal uses were whole skins secured by a belt or zone. Long cloaks or kilts of sheepskin or sewn-together garments were a natural after that. But it took until the 19th century to use buttons instead of a fibula or brooch or tied fastenings. They caught on because coats are warmer than cloaks!

Answer 5

I think they really don't know. I think that Neanderthal wore clothes because its teeth were extremely worn by working leather but then again it isn't in our ancestry. For modern humans to move into Europe, clothes are pretty much prerequisite so I would think the answer would probably be 100,000 years but I admit that it is a guess. They probably wore clothes as protection from the cold first but then again many tropical people wear some sort of clothes, apparently for modesty. Perhaps it was to keep fights from erupting too much. If women didn't wear anything men would probably fight over them more and if men didn't wear anything, then maybe it would be too obvious when someone wanted another's female.

Answer 6

I could well imagine that wearing of clothes coincided with the stone age, ie when Man first developed shaped weapons - chipped flint etc. Before then, they would not have had the means to cut up the skins of the animals they killed for food.

So I would suggest Homo habilus, about 2 million years ago.

Try the webpage below for more info.

Hope this helps.

Answer 7

When modern humans migrated out of Africa around 100-150,000 yrs ago, more than likely they did not wear clothing, with the hot climate of Africa, there would have been no need. (Even today, many pre-modern tribes do not wear clothing.) Modern humans are known to have reached Northern Europe (Britain) by 30,000 yrs ago. It is probable that on their journey north, they began to wear clothing, and most likely adopted the practice from Neanderthals, who certainly would have worn clothing to inhabit the colder regions. The ice age was in full force by this time, so animal skins would have been a necessity.

Answer 8

The bible is the real answer. It isn't a religion it's the truth! Now for the real answer... After the fall of Adam and Eve, they realized they were naked and felt shameful about their bodies, so the sewed some fig leaves together to make gardments for themselves. It's in Genesis chapter 3. I really don't care if this makes you mad. Hey, you said you wanted a real answer, so I gave you one.

Answer 9

By necessity, humans learn to hunt in order to eat, they ate the inside of the animal and use those animal skins to cover their body when cold temperatures arrived, and soon as they discovered the needle they sew their clothes as well.

Shame and impudicity came along in time with civilization

Answer 10

when thag's wife said "oh look og no have penis" then og was embarassed and covered himself up with a big leaf to compensate for the lack of genitalia.

actually it was from climate and element... rain, cold, poisonous vegetation... it was to protect the skin from discomfort.

unsure of how early.. but guessing how we humans respond to stimuli... it must have been as early as man could feel sensation and compensate mentally a alternative to his responses to the stimulation.

such as with shelter.. but who knows.. shelter may've come first... doubtful.. they're both runners up i'm sure.

here's what google.com says others have researched about it.

it varies.. from weather to culture.. war.. and presentation in reference to mating.

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&safe=off&q=earliest+clothing