The History of Clothing

Prehistoric · Sub-Saharan Africa · Before 3000 BCE

Prehistoric Sub-Saharan African Clothing

Sub-Saharan Africa — where the oldest evidence of clothing in human history has been found — saw prehistoric communities develop sophisticated traditions of hide-working, bark cloth production, and personal adornment.

Last updated

The Oldest Clothing on Earth

San rock painting of a human figure holding the tail of an eland, Game Pass Shelter, Kamberg, South Africa Photo: Alandmanson. Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0.

Africa is where the story of human clothing begins. Genetic studies of body lice — which require clothing to survive — suggest that humans began wearing garments at least 83,000 and possibly as early as 170,000 years ago, before our species spread out of Africa. Bone tools more than 61,000 years old from Sibudu Cave in South Africa include a slender point that its excavators described as consistent with a pin or needle-like implement, though it has no eye, so direct evidence for stitched animal hides this early remains thin. 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

Perforated Nassarius shell beads from Blombos Cave, South Africa, about 75,000 years old Photo: Chris Henshilwood and Francesco d'Errico. Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.5.

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. Because the cloth itself rarely survives and the beaters used for it were usually wooden, how far back the tradition reaches remains uncertain.

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 about 75,000 years ago from Blombos Cave in South Africa represent some of the earliest known jewelry, and ostrich eggshell beads (made in eastern and southern Africa for at least 50,000 years), 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.

Sources