CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- Archaeologists have discovered
what the well-dressed Ice Age woman wore on ritual occasions. Her outfit,
however, including accessories, doesn't resemble anything Wilma Flintstone
ever wore, or, for that matter, any of our carved-in-stone conceptions of
"paleofashion."
Instead, the threads of at least some Ice Age women included caps or
snoods, belts and skirts, bandeaux (banding over the breasts) and
bracelets and necklaces -- all constructed of plant fibers in a great
variety of cloth, from twined and basket wear to plain weaves. While
styling varied across Eurasia, the finest weaves are "comparable to
not only Neolithic but even later Bronze and
Iron Age products, or, in fact, to thin cotton and linenwear worn
today," Olga Soffer, James Adovasio and David Hyland wrote in an
article to be published in Current Anthropology.
The evidence for Ice Age summer fashions comes in part from 80 textile
impressions Soffer found on tiny clay fragments in the Czech Republic. The
impressions are "the earliest evidence for cordage and textile
production in the world and reflect technologies heretofore associated
with much later periods," the archaeologists wrote. Soffer, a
professor of anthropology at the University of Illinois and a pioneer in
the study of Upper Paleolithic life ways, compared the impressions to the
representation of clothing on the
so-called "Venus" figurines, which also date to the Gravettian
period, roughly 25,000 years ago. "It suddenly struck us that what we
were looking at under the microscope on these little fragments was
precisely what was being shown as clothing on some of these 'naked
ladies,' " she said, noting that in all likelihood the Ice Age
seamstresses also carved the figurines that showed off their
"exquisitely detailed" weaving, plaiting and coiling skills.
Among other things, the findings "get our ancestors out of the smelly
furs and hides that they've been dressed in in our imagination, and into
fine woven clothing -- at least in warm-weather months," said Soffer,
lead researcher in the study of women's wear "B.V."
?"Before Vogue," as she likes to say. The new research also
provides a new way of thinking about our ancestors, Soffer argues. Up to
now we have had "a monotonous image of our deep past," she said,
which consists of hide- and fur-wrapped "brave men with
lances going after mammoths." But these are the activities of a
minority of the population. "Where were the women and children?"
Soffer asks. "Where are the old people and the infirm, and what are
they doing? Surely a lot more than simply sitting around admiring their
brave heroes."
Indeed, the new analysis sheds light on the major role that some women
played in late Pleistocene societies. The women who turned out such fine
garments, the archaeologists hypothesize, probably enjoyed high status in
the society, their wear considered items of great value.
Archaeology is Soffer's second career. Before she was "born
again," she said, she "grew up in the fashion industry, doing
fashion promotion for the Federated Department Stores. FDS and Abraham
& Strauss taught me everything I know," said Soffer, with a wink.
Note: This story has been adapted from a news
release issued by University Of Illinois At Urbana-Champaign for
journalists and other members of the public. If you wish to quote from any
part of this story, please credit University Of Illinois At
Urbana-Champaign as the original source. You may also wish to include the
following link in any citation:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2000/02/000203074853.htm
Category: Falun Dafa in the Media
