The Oldest Clothing on Earth
Africa is where the story of human clothing begins. Genetic studies of body lice — which require clothing to survive — suggest that humans first began wearing garments at least 100,000 years ago, long before our species migrated out of Africa. The oldest known bone needles with eyes for threading, dating to approximately 61,000 BCE, were discovered at Sibudu Cave in South Africa, providing direct evidence that early Africans were stitching animal hides into fitted garments rather than simply wrapping them around the body. Stone tools used for hide scraping appear even earlier in the archaeological record across eastern and southern Africa.
The production of leather from animal hides required considerable skill and knowledge. Prehistoric African hide-workers scraped, stretched, and treated skins using a variety of techniques, including smoking and the application of animal fats and plant-based tanning agents such as bark extracts. The resulting leather could be soft and supple enough for close-fitting garments or left stiff for protective purposes. In tropical regions where heavy clothing was unnecessary, evidence suggests that body coverings were minimal, with animal skins and plant materials used more for protection during specific activities or for ceremonial purposes than for everyday warmth.
Bark Cloth and Plant Fibers
One of sub-Saharan Africa's most distinctive textile traditions is bark cloth, produced by harvesting the inner bark of certain tree species — particularly figs of the Ficus genus — and pounding it with wooden or stone mallets until it formed a soft, flexible sheet. While the antiquity of this practice is difficult to establish precisely (bark cloth rarely survives in the archaeological record), the widespread distribution of bark cloth production across tropical Africa, from Uganda to the Congo Basin, suggests deep prehistoric roots. Stone bark-cloth beaters found at sites in several African countries provide indirect evidence of this tradition stretching back thousands of years.
Beyond bark cloth, prehistoric sub-Saharan Africans made use of a wide range of plant fibers for cordage, netting, and simple woven or knotted coverings. Raffia palm fibers, grass, and various bast fibers were twisted into string, braided into belts, and fashioned into skirts and loincloths. Personal adornment was equally important: shell beads dating to over 75,000 years ago from Blombos Cave in South Africa represent some of the earliest known jewelry, and ostrich eggshell beads, bone pendants, and ochre body paint all point to a rich tradition of decorating the body that predates and complements the development of clothing itself.