3,000 Year-Old Pants Discovered In Chinese Tombs, The Oldest Known Trousers

November 18, 2015

Two men whose remains were recently excavated from tombs in western China put their pants on one leg at a time, just like the rest of us.

But these nomadic herders did so between 3,300 and 3,000 years ago, making their trousers the oldest known examples of this innovative apparel, Science News reports.

Credit: M. WAGNER/GERMAN ARCHAEOLOGICAL INSTITUTE

With straight-fitting legs and a wide crotch, the ancient wool trousers resemble modern riding pants

The discoveries, uncovered in the Yanghai graveyard in China's Tarim Basin, support previous work suggesting that nomadic herders in Central Asia invented pants to provide bodily protection and freedom of movement for horseback journeys and mounted warfare.

The trousers were sewn together from three pieces of brown-colored wool cloth, one piece for each leg and an insert for the crotch. The tailoring involved no cutting, but included side slits, strings for fastening at the waist and woven designs on the legs.

(h/t) Science News