Scientists Have Found the Oldest Known Pair of Pants
Posted on June 5, 2014
Scientists have discovered the oldest known pair of pants. The 3,000 year old wool pants were discovered in a tomb in China. They predate the previously oldest known pair of pants by 400 years.
The researchers report in Quaternary International that the trousers excavated from the tomb in western China were likely for riding horses. Horse gear and weapons were also found in tombs at the Yanghai site.
The scientists say the ancient trousers were made of three independently woven pieces of fabric. They say the ancient tailoring process did not involve cutting the cloth. The scientists say that "instead the parts were shaped on the loom, and they were shaped in the correct size to fit a specific person." This also means the weaver and the tailor would have been the same person.