How Ancient is the Practice of Wearing Clothing?

[Sunstone]

My guess is that wearing clothes is only about 70,000 to 75,000 years old. That seems like a long time until, perhaps, you realize our species is about 260,000 years old by some estimates. So, for most of our life as a species, we were nudists.

I guess clothing is about 70,000 to 75,000 years old because there is a species of lice that's adapted to feeding on humans and which can only live in clothing. Genetic analysis shows the species first arose about 70,000 to 75,000 years ago. So, since it can only live in clothing, we know that we were wearing clothing by that time at the latest.

Of course, there's nothing to say clothing isn't older than that species of lice. But I'm still going to guess that the lice and clothing arose about the same time.

What's your guess? How old is the practice of wearing clothing?

 

[Midnight Pete]

Slightly older than the practise of washing clothing, probably.

 

[Nepenthe]

My guess is that wearing clothes is only about 70,000 to 75,000 years old. That seems like a long time until, perhaps, you realize our species is about 260,000 years old by some estimates. So, for most of our life as a species, we were nudists.

I guess clothing is about 70,000 to 75,000 years old because there is a species of lice that's adapted to feeding on humans and which can only live in clothing. Genetic analysis shows the species first arose about 70,000 to 75,000 years ago. So, since it can only live in clothing, we know that we were wearing clothing by that time at the latest.

Of course, there's nothing to say clothing isn't older than that species of lice. But I'm still going to guess that the lice and clothing arose about the same time.

What's your guess? How old is the practice of wearing clothing?

I was just reading some papers on the louse findings. A very recent study concluded that clothing lice diverged from head lice as early as 170,000 years ago, conflicting with a 2003 paper that traced lice mtDNA no later than 72,000 years ago. So modern humans may have been wearing clothing as early as during the mid to late Pleistocene.

 

[linwood]

I was just reading some papers on the louse findings.

You need a social life.

 

[Sunstone]

I was just reading some papers on the louse findings. A very recent study concluded that clothing lice diverged from head lice as early as 170,000 years ago, conflicting with a 2003 paper that traced lice mtDNA no later than 72,000 years ago. So modern humans may have been wearing clothing as early as during the mid to late Pleistocene.

Wow! That's awesome!

But are you and I the only two people on this board passionately concerned with lice? It just can't be so!!!

 

[Nepenthe]

You need a social life.

This is what happens when my wife is out of town with friends for the weekend.

 

[Sunstone]

This is what happens when my wife is out of town with friends for the weekend.

Yeah, sure. I was telling my neighbors the very same thing until they pointed out I don't have a wife.

 

[Nepenthe]

Yeah, sure. I was telling my neighbors the very same thing until they pointed out I don't have a wife.

But do you have lice sir? Do you!?!?! DO YOU!?!

 

[Sunstone]

But do you have lice sir? Do you!?!?! DO YOU!?!

Not anymore. But then, I don't have clothes anymore, either.

 

[Willamena]

I'm guessing clothing is at least as old as the need to be warm, which would coincide with the first ice age after 260,000 B.C.

 

[Sunstone]

I'm guessing clothing is at least as old as the need to be warm, which would coincide with the first ice age after 260,000 B.C.

Roughly around 70,000 years ago, about the same time as that one study says the lice diverged into two species, there was a massive volcanic explosion that pumped so much ash into the atmosphere it reduced temperatures worldwide for a thousand years.

The explosion also seems to have wiped out humans outside of Africa and to have reduced the population of humans inside Africa to as few as 200 to 2000 breeding adults.

 

[Nepenthe]

Not anymore. But then, I don't have clothes anymore, either.

I used to post naked but my laptop's battery overheated once and, well, let's just say I haven't smelled anything like that since the local Skeeter's Taxidermy and Pork Rinds factory burned to the ground.

 

[Willamena]

Can you imagine that first guy, trying to sell the idea of clothes to his neighbours? "It's terrific! Keeps you warm, blocks the cold wind... and the animal wasn't wearing it anymore."

 

[ChristineES]

I think clothes came out of necessity in cold weather. You know what they were thinking "Those animals are furry and are not shivering", then "hey, I've got an idea, lets give ourselves some fur, too".

 

[monta]

Wow! That's awesome!

But are you and I the only two people on this board passionately concerned with lice? It just can't be so!!!

I used to be passionately concerned with lice, but then I stopped working with kids and they......I mean it went away. :yes:

 

[monta]

I used to post naked but my laptop's battery overheated once and, well, let's just say I haven't smelled anything like that since the local Skeeter's Taxidermy and Pork Rinds factory burned to the ground.

50% to 60% of my posting is done in the buff. The rest of the time I'm wearing a socks, I'm not cranky, I'm just cold :danana:

 

[Tiapan]

Depends basically on environmental temperature. Beyond that it is a male dictate.

Cheers

 

[Reptillian]

I think clothes came out of necessity in cold weather. You know what they were thinking "Those animals are furry and are not shivering", then "hey, I've got an idea, lets give ourselves some fur, too".

I'd guess that the reason we're furless is because we started wearing clothes and fur + clothes = overheating. Clothing wearing and fur loss might be an example of sexual selection. Ancient humans might have been attracted to those traits. Its sort of like blue footed boobies being attracted to blue feet. They even have a weird mating dance to show them off. (blue feet not boobies)

 

[ChristineES]

I'd guess that the reason we're furless is because we started wearing clothes and fur + clothes = overheating. Clothing wearing and fur loss might be an example of sexual selection. Ancient humans might have been attracted to those traits. Its sort of like blue footed boobies being attracted to blue feet. They even have a weird mating dance to show them off. (blue feet not boobies)

I thought it took more than a millennium to adapt. Does this mean that humans were wearing furs for a few thousand years or more? (you know I am just being facetious).

 

[Reptillian]

I thought it took more than a millennium to adapt. Does this mean that humans were wearing furs for a few thousand years or more? (you know I am just being facetious).

The rate of adaptation depends upon the genetic diversity, reproductive rate, and overall breeding population of the species. It also depends on how strong the selective pressure is. A species can evolve relatively quickly in a short time if the conditions are right.