A study describes how archaeologists exploring abandoned cliff nests in southern Spain pulled a medieval surprise from a bearded vulture’s home, a woven sandal that radiocarbon tests place between 650 and 750 years old.
Bearded vultures, Gypaetus barbatus, are unusual raptors because they specialize in osteophagy, a bone heavy diet, and they reuse protected cliff cavities as family sites for generations.
Clothes don't survive the way artifacts made of stone, bone and other hard materials do, so scientists have to get creative to answer this question.
As early humans evolved from ape-like ancestors, they came down from the trees, began to walk upright and lost their fur. But without fur, our ancestors would have been exposed to the elements. They would have needed clothing for protection.
So when did humans start wearing clothes?
This is a tricky question, because clothes don't survive the way artifacts made of stone, bone and other hard materials do. Instead, scientists have to get creative. The evidence used to answer this question comes from a few main sources, including bones bearing evidence of skinning, sewing needles and awls, and lice. READ MORE...
