A team of archaeologists analyzing clay samples for tree pollen in Dzudzuana Cave in the Republic of Georgia made a surprising discovery: The oldest flax fibers made by humans. And there were quite a few of them, nearly 800 in all.
The fibers are more than 34,000 years old. Previously, the oldest known evidence for fiber-making was found at the 28,000-year-old site of Dolni Vestonice in the Czech Republic.
These fibers are not evidence for early farming, since flax grew wild in the area. But they do indicate that the people living in the cave were already experienced in gathering and working with the fibers, possibly to make thread for sewing, or even to weave cloth or other textiles. Some of the fibers appear to have been dyed in various colors such as yellow, green, blue, violet, red and black. For some, this means that the people who occupied the cave might have been producing colorful fabrics.
These fibers give us evidence that people had been using plant fibers to make thread, ropes and twines for some time before they themselves were created. Because plant remains are so rarely preserved, it may be some time before earlier samples are discovered.
Photos and more information on this important discovery can be found here
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