World's oldest trousers found in ancientChinese graveyard

The Tarim Basin in western China is host tothe famous Yanghai tombs, an ancient burial ground containing over 500 gravesgoing back thousands of years. Researchers found mummified corpses of two adultmales of about 40 years age, both wearing trousers. Carbon dating was used toestablish the age of the garments in the time interval between the 13th and the10th century BCE.

Along with the bodies, a horse bit made ofwood, a whip, a bow and a battle-axe were also found. This suggests that thetwo men were herders and warriors, using horses for getting around. The cut ofthe trousers also indicates that they were designed to be worn by horse backriders.

Each pair of trousers was made from threepieces of cloth, one for each leg and a central, crotch piece. Each had a beltmade of strings. The researchers noted that no cutting of cloth was needed aseach cloth piece was shaped on the loom. Each pant leg also had cross stitchingthat appeared to serve a purely decorative function.

"The yarns of the three fabrics andthreads for final sewing match in color and quality, which implies that the weaverand the tailor was the same person or that both cooperated in a highlycoordinated way. The design of the trousers from Yanghai with straight-fittinglegs and a wide crotch-piece seems to be a predecessor of modern ridingtrousers," the researchers write in their paper.

Many historians believe that trousers wereinvented as a means of riding horses-riding for a long time can cause skinirritation and discomfort. The trousers worn by horse riders likely migrated toother people, the theory goes, who chose to adopt them for unknown reasons. Itslikely modifications were made because riding pants are not particularlycomfortable for walking or engaging in everyday life. Prior to trousers, peopleof both genders tended to wear tunics, robes, togas, etc. It is also generallybelieved that horse riding by humans began approximately 4000 years ago, whichsuggests trouser wearing began long before the two men in the Yanghai gravesitedonned theirs.