Should
"The Stone Age"
Be Called
"The Stone and Basket Age?"
A complete theory about the million(s?) year evolution
of basket weaving and woven-fiber technology
that was crucial for the development of civilization.
of basket weaving and woven-fiber technology
that was crucial for the development of civilization.
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The article is covered by the Creative Commons copyright license
so you can quote any part of the article
as long as Rick Doble, the author, is credited.
so you can quote any part of the article
as long as Rick Doble, the author, is credited.
FROM BASKETS TO SHIPS:
IT MAY HAVE TAKEN 100s OF THOUSANDS OF YEARS
IT MAY HAVE TAKEN 100s OF THOUSANDS OF YEARS
[TOP] A carry basket. using a simple design, made by the Xerente (Sherenté),
an indigenous people in Brazil.
an indigenous people in Brazil.
It may have taken more than half a million years for the skills needed to make this basic basket [TOP] to evolve into the skills needed to make this seagoing ship [BOTTOM] made of reeds that could carry 50 tons of cargo and sail the Persian Gulf
[BOTTOM] "Model of the reed boat Tigris, boat of Thor Heyerdahl."
This recreation of a Mesopotamian reed ship could carry 50 tons of cargo. Thor Heyerdahl built the full-scale ship to prove the seaworthiness of reed ships. He sailed the Tigris with no problems for 5 months in the Persian Gulf.
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tigris_Model_Pyramids_of_Guimar.jpg
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tigris_Model_Pyramids_of_Guimar.jpg
DOCUMENTATION AND CITATIONS IN THIS ARTICLE.
At the end of this article, you will find a List of Evidence section. Full citations about evidence or statements are listed in chronological order as they relate to the basket-making timeline.
INTRODUCTION
Is it possible that basket-weaving plant fiber technology was as important as stone age technology? And that this possibility was dismissed because of a lack of evidence even though all agreed that both direct and indirect evidence for Paleolithic plant technology would have decayed and be hard to find?
The answer is yes, it may have been as important as stone age tools. But the possibility was never considered, in fact, it was strongly rejected, for almost 90 years.
Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence.
Carl Sagan
This is especially true with plant fibers
that have decomposed but which everyone agrees
must have been widely used by Paleolithic people.
that have decomposed but which everyone agrees
must have been widely used by Paleolithic people.
"We know from observations of our own surroundings, ethnographic and ethnohistoric accounts that most of the material culture of humans (and Neanderthals) is comprised of perishable materials. Hurcombe has called this problem “the missing majority."
"We typically only find faunal remains or stone tools at Paleolithic sites. Perishable materials, comprising the vast majority of material culture items, are typically missing." (See the Evidence List for a full citation.)
Direct Evidence Of Neanderthal Fibre Technology And Its Cognitive And Behavioral Implications
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7145842/
THE DISCOVERY OF EVIDENCE
THAT PROVED BASKETRY WAS VERY OLD
The breakthrough finds that proved weaving was much older and present in the Paleolithic era at 27,000 years old are described next in an article from Discover Magazine. Drs. Adovasio and Soffer made this discovery. Dr. James Adovasio is regarded as one of the world's leading experts on the subject of ancient basketry.
The Basket Age
An article in Discover Magazine
(See the Evidence List for a full citation.)
Dr. Jim Adovasio said, "We don’t think of baskets or textiles when we think of the Stone Age...stones and bones, being far more durable, are far more common at archeological sites than artifacts made of fiber.
Research about basketry was held back because "The conventional wisdom has been that a time-consuming task like weaving would only be practiced by sedentary, agrarian cultures." But all this changed with a remarkable find.
A "University of Illinois archeologist [Dr. Soffer] was looking for more ceramics when she happened upon a few pieces of fired clay with regular impressions.
"When Soffer asked Adovasio to take a look, he instantly recognized the distinct interlaced pattern of woven fibers. High-resolution photographs revealed at least two types of weave.
"The people of Pavlov [where these were found] were hunter-gatherers, but technologically sophisticated ones."
So the assumption that hunter-gatherers could not make baskets was incorrect.
"In any case, says Adovasio, the regularity and narrow gauge of the weaving demonstrate that the technology wasn’t new even 27,000 years ago."
NOTE: Dr. Adovasio makes the point that regularity indicates an advanced form of weaving and narrow gauge fibers (thin fibers) also indicate an advanced technology. This suggests that an earlier technology would be less regular and the fibers would be wider which is consistent with my theory explained in this article.
In another article:
"Dr. Soffer also noted that the clay fragments revealed a surprising variety of weaving techniques such as open and closed twines, nets, and plain weave. The intriguing thing about the plain weave impression was that it required a loom. This fact alone meant that 'old stone age' nomadic people were making fiber constructions with a basic loom -- something that was thought impossible."
Soffer, O., Adovasio, J., et. al. "Perishable Industries from Dolní Vestonice I." (See the Evidence List for a full citation.)
HOW IMPORTANT ARE BASKET WEAVING AND FIBER TECHNOLOGY?
It's huge. And it's a game changer.
After reading an almost forgotten book by noted French archeologist Gustave Chauvet in which he suggested that basketry had not begun in the Neolithic but instead in the Upper Paleolithic era, Dr. Paul Bahn wrote in 2001, “It is a long overdue development that, 90 years after Chauvet’s publication, prehistory seems ready to, at last, accept the probably HUGE IMPORTANCE OF BASKETRY [ED: my emphasis] and simple weaving in the Upper Palaeolithic.”
Bahn, Dr. Paul. "Palaeolithic weaving – a contribution from Chauvet." (See the Evidence List for a full citation.)
While it is satisfying to read Dr. Bahn's assessment, things have changed quite a bit since he wrote this more than 20 years ago. It is now known that fiber technology was quite advanced even in the Middle Paleolithic.
Direct microscopic evidence of complex, sophisticated cordage (rope/twine) has been found that is 50 kya and so from the Middle Paleolithic. (See the Evidence List at the end of this article.)
Not only that it was made by Neanderthals who preceded Homo sapiens. This find was reported in the highly respected journal, Nature. And this cordage is so sophisticated it suggests that the technology's origins were much earlier.
THE STUDY OF PALEO-BASKETRY TODAY
Today both direct evidence and especially indirect evidence have been found and more is being uncovered every year now that scientists have a better idea of how and what to look for. These finds are changing scientific views about how Paleolithic technology developed along with its impact on survival, culture, and hominin evolution.
A TENTATIVE THEORY ABOUT
THE DEVELOPMENT OF WOVEN-FIBER TECHNOLOGY
(BASKET WEAVING) OVER MILLIONS OF YEARS
I struggled over what to call my ideas about the technology that developed using woven fibers, especially plant fibers, by early humans (hominini). I finally settled on the above description.
My theory is more than a hypothesis but not as developed as a full-blown theory. So 'tentative' is the adjective that I settled on.
A scientific hypothesis is about something that needs to be tested to be considered true and its truth is based on its ability to correctly predict results.
A theory is an idea that is rooted in solid evidence and where scientists have connected the dots (so to speak) to make an overall proposition. I do have evidence but it is spread out over more than several million years.
In the case of my theory, I am talking about prehistory. Predicting is not really relevant because I am trying to forge ideas that explain the past. Nevertheless predicting, in a sense, does come into play because new discoveries may or may not fit with my theory. If new evidence is consistent with my ideas, then my theory is more probable. And, of course, if the evidence goes against my ideas, the theory is less probable.
Recently new discoveries have supported my theory such as this discovery of Neanderthal cordage and another discovery of a complete Neolithic basket more than 10 kya. (See the Evidence List at the end of this article.)
UNDERWATER BASKET WEAVING, HA, HA, HA!
I deliberately stayed away from the term 'basket weaving', even though that is a common term that everyone understands. I did this for two reasons. The first is that woven-fiber technology may have started as basket weaving but then developed into much much more such as the building of large seagoing reed ships or the use of heavy-duty baskets to dredge canals in Mesopotamia.
The second reason is that most people do not think of basket weaving as being complex or sophisticated or essential, all of which is wrong. Hence the perennial college joke about the easy course known as underwater basket weaving.
"Illustration from 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica, article BASKET."
Making a basket required planning from the start. The right materials with the right properties (stiff, flexible, wide, thin, etc.) had to be gathered at the right time for a particular type of basket or article. These materials then had to be processed. Often several different materials were used. Then a combination of math, geometry, and design skills was employed to imagine a finished product.
(LEFT) Starting a basket -- once started it becomes
exactly what the basket maker imagined.
exactly what the basket maker imagined.
Page 30, Turner, Luther Weston. The Basket Maker. https://archive.org/details/basketmaker00turniala
(RIGHT) "Wicker basket starting."
Once started the basket or boat or hat etc. would become exactly what the person imagined. Accomplished basket makers say that they know precisely what the basket will look like from the moment they start weaving it. All of this required considerable cognitive abilities. So it is my belief that by the Upper Paleolithic, some groups could make quite advanced constructions. A well-made basket can last for generations.
Apaches were hunter-gatherers
who made some of the best baskets ever made. This is one example.
who made some of the best baskets ever made. This is one example.
[TOP] Full view.
[BOTTOM] Detail.
[BOTTOM] Detail.
"Basket, Apache people, Arizona, ca. 1900,
coiled willow and devil's claw - Chazen Museum of Art."
Nevertheless, basketry has not been seen as a difficult or helpful technology. This is the major reason why basketry has not been given the same status as stone tools; it has not been considered important.
The Need to Change the Term 'Basket Weaving'
to the Term 'Woven-Fiber Technology'
to the Term 'Woven-Fiber Technology'
BASKETS AND WOVEN-FIBER ITEMS ARE TOOLS
Central to my argument is the idea that baskets and woven-fiber items were tools that were just as important and useful as stone tools during the Paleolithic era.
But for some odd reason, baskets have not been considered tools. Studies about early tool use refer to stone, bone, and possibly wooden tools, but do not include basketry. In my view, this is a mistake and a big mistake.
If we include baskets as part of discussions about tools, the narrative of human development and evolution expands and becomes a fuller story. Tools, such as those made of stone or bone, and basketry complement each other. For example, the use of baskets or containers would have allowed more weapons or tools to be carried and baskets could have been used for collecting small game that had been killed with tools. Baskets may have been needed to gather special stones, used in tool making, from distant locations, as I have suggested. (See Evidence List.) Stone and bone tools, on the other hand, have been used in the making of baskets and other weaving projects.
Oxford Languages definitions
A tool is:
a device or implement, especially one held in the hand, used to carry out a particular function.
If we dig further we find that
A device is:
a thing made or adapted for a particular purpose.
An implement is:
a tool, utensil, or other piece of equipment, especially as used for a particular purpose.
A utensil is:
an implement, container, or other article, especially for household use.
such as: "kitchen utensils"
Notice that at this point in our definition 'paper trail' (so to speak) a container, which many baskets are, is considered a tool.
2 carry baskets made in Santa Apolonia Teacalco, Mexico,
and one small serving basket.
Notice the different construction in the two large baskets.
and one small serving basket.
Notice the different construction in the two large baskets.
So there is no reason that baskets and items made with woven-fiber technology have not been given the 'status' of tools. The humble carry basket, for example, meets all the criteria for a tool as defined in the above definition. It is a device, held in the hands, for a specific function, i.e., holding and collecting things that can be carried in the basket.
If some people are not convinced and think that baskets should not be considered tools, then what are they? And why do they not meet the 'tool' standard?
AA.jpg)
This Native American Indian Coastal-Pomo woman is gathering seeds
using a paddle made with woven-fiber technology.
This paddle is a tool designed to hit and free the seeds
on the plant so that they fall into the large basket.
using a paddle made with woven-fiber technology.
This paddle is a tool designed to hit and free the seeds
on the plant so that they fall into the large basket.
Examples Of Different Fish Traps (Tools) From Around The World Made With Basket Weaving Technology.(TOP LEFT) A traditional basket for gathering snails in Southern Spain.(TOP RIGHT) Fish Trap, Aitutaki (Cook Islands).(BOTTOM LEFT) Braided fish trap, Indonesia.(BOTTOM RIGHT) "Bamboo fish pot or trap in general use in Porto Rico."
A Native American Indian Twined Fish Trap Around 1588.Called a twined fish trap designed by Native American Virginia Indians, this drawing was made after Thomas Hariot who made the original drawing around 1588. https://jenikirbyhistory.getarchive.net/amp/topics/a+b+alexander
AN OVERVIEW OF MY TENTATIVE THEORY
My theory is simple. I believe that very early hominini began to understand how to weave complex items from natural fibers and this technology developed over a million years right up to today, so that it became a key reason why humans survived and became the powerful species we are today.
Woven-fiber technology is worldwide on all continents (except Antarctica) and is a part of virtually every culture. Two different anthropologists who did a study of 'cultural universals', i.e., technologies, practices, etc. that were common to all societies, found that containers, cordage, and weaving were present in virtually all cultures.
This means that fiber products can be made from a wide range of plants. Early cultures made them from whatever happened to grow in a local area. But in addition, people learned to work with this technology using various plant parts such as bark, roots, leaves, needles, and a variety of vines and tree limbs. And cultures often had their own distinct way of weaving and constructing an item. It was my guess that a technology that was so pervasive and capable of making so many things from local plants had to be very old. So I began to investigate.
I found photographs of a full range of woven items. I discovered that just about anything could be created: from shoes to hats, to bowls and plates, to furniture, baby carriers, nets, fish traps, thatched roofs, saddles, a variety of boat designs from small to large, a variety of building designs from small to large and even suspension bridges. Moreover, knowledge of woven-fiber skills was often shared by everyone and custom items could be made as needed. In addition, a huge variety of baskets from rugged work baskets used for dredging marshes and hauling clay, to large backpack baskets used for transporting harvested crops, to large and small waterproof baskets for carrying water and other baskets used for cooking were probably common items of early societies.
Read the following article for much more detail and a 'slide show' of these products.
Evidence for a Basket Weaving
and Woven-Fiber Technology
in the Paleolithic Era
and Woven-Fiber Technology
in the Paleolithic Era
Here are the main points:
* Basket weaving or woven-fiber technology is a technology for making fiber tools.
* This technology took a very long time to develop as it was invented from scratch by hominins with much smaller brains than ours and shorter life spans.
* This technology may have begun more than a million years ago and may have gone through several stages to reach a high point of development.
* This technology, once developed, required planning and considerable manual and cognitive skills
* This technology is worldwide and exists in virtually all societies from underdeveloped to modern.
* Once mastered this technology could create perhaps hundreds of different types of items from small to large with thousands of variations using fibers from local materials. In addition, there were/are endless variations in weaving styles and structural designs.
* This technology may be one of the key technologies that helped hominins survive and allowed them/us to become the dominant species on the planet.
BUT HOW DID THIS START?
PRE-PALEOLITHIC
Basketry and woven-fiber technology have very deep roots, going back perhaps ten million years or more since apes 'weave' a nest each night to sleep.
Bornean Orangutan in her nest in Borneo in 2018.
It is now believed that our distant ape ancestors lived in grassy and leafy environments much of the time for more than ten million years. And these distant ancestors (such as chimpanzees) knew how to weave bedding nests every night as contemporary apes do. These nests showed a level of basic weaving skills and an ability to work with local plants even as the environment changed. Juvenile apes learned how to do this by watching and imitating adults, indicating some basic cognitive skills. (See the Evidence List.)
Lucy: one of the most complete skeletons of an Australopithecus
who is related to us but may or may not be a direct ancestor. A new study of her bone fractures determined that she died because she fell out of a tree where she was probably nesting.
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lucy_blackbg.jpg
who is related to us but may or may not be a direct ancestor. A new study of her bone fractures determined that she died because she fell out of a tree where she was probably nesting.
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lucy_blackbg.jpg
It is now also believed that this bed-making behavior continued as hominini evolved. The famous Australopithecus named 'Lucy' (a possible ancestor of ours) may have fallen out of a tree from her nest, showing that these later hominins continued to nest in trees. New research has confirmed the tree-living aspect of their existence. A recent article in the journal Nature stated, "Australopithecus species were habitual bipeds but also practiced arboreality [living in the trees];... they occasionally used stone tools..." (See the Evidence List for citation.)
African baobab trees (Adansonia digitata).
These are native trees that are widespread throughout Africa. The fruit of the Baobab tree was an important part of the hominin diet along with honey as bees often made nests in these trees. This was a favorite tree for hominini during much of their evolution and was also a favorite place for weaverbirds to live and build their nests.
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Adansonia_digitata_Baobab.JPG
These are native trees that are widespread throughout Africa. The fruit of the Baobab tree was an important part of the hominin diet along with honey as bees often made nests in these trees. This was a favorite tree for hominini during much of their evolution and was also a favorite place for weaverbirds to live and build their nests.
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Adansonia_digitata_Baobab.JPG
WAS NEST-BUILDING THE BEGINNING OF TOOL CREATION AND USE?As you will read in the Evidence List in this article, the making of nests by primates is considered by some to be the beginning of tool making."This study illustrates a degree of technical know-how in nest-building orangutans, which may aid in the reconstruction of the evolution of **tool use** [ED: my emphasis] and technology in human ancestors."Nest-building orangutans demonstrate engineering know-how to produce safe, comfortable beds
When hominins started to walk upright on two legs, their arms and hands were free. This meant that they could carry items in their free hands. But using baskets meant they could carry much more. With the help of large baskets on their backs, for example, they could gather food, materials, firewood, and even small game that they caught.
LOWER PALEOLITHIC
Early hominini were nomadic hunter-gatherers. This way of life continued for millions of years until about 10,000 years ago.
Weaverbird nests. Two different types.
At this point in our story, hominini knew how to do basic weaving, had a basic understanding of materials plus they knew how to observe and learn from another's behavior. (See the Evidence List.)
The next possible step, I believe, was that early hominini learned 'advanced' weaving techniques from weaverbirds and probably other birds as well during the Lower Paleolithic. I was able to show from fossil evidence that early hominins probably lived in close association with weaverbirds in Africa.
Building a large open nest to sleep in is one thing, making a basket that is a small light strong well designed portable container that could be easily carried and hold weighty items is another thing. Yet based on the evidence of ape nest building, which probably continued with early hominini, it would not have been difficult for early hominini to observe and learn from weaverbird nest building. These bird constructions often took a day or more to make. By watching these birds, hominini could understand how weaverbirds built their small, sturdy, light nests.
LEFT: Different knots weaverbirds can make.
RIGHT: A weaverbird starting a nest by making the interior skeleton structure.
LEFT: Friedmann, Herbert. "The Weaving of the Red-Billed Weaver Bird in Captivity." Zoologica:. Scientific Contribution of the New York Zoological Society,
Volume II, Number 16, page 363. The Society, The Zoological Park,, New York, 1922.
Weaverbird nests are made with a variety of clever knots, hard thick strands to make a skeleton, plus thinner and more flexible stands that weave over and under around the skeleton in an opposing strand construction. And these construction techniques are all fundamental elements of the craft of basketry.
Because hominini were hunter-gatherers, baskets would have helped them both hunt and gather. Baskets would help these hominini gather more food and materials and also help them carry weapons and tools for the hunt. So basket-making would have had a direct benefit that was consistent with their lifestyle.
LEFT: Weaverbird nests are well-designed and strong. Abandoned ones fell down from Baobab tree limbs (trees where hominini often camped) which early hominini could have collected. "Weaverbird (Southern Masked Weaver) nest of dry grass, near Pretoria, South Africa"
RIGHT: A random weave basket made from vines by Nan Bowles. It was constructed with flexible green vines that later dried to make a light, stiff, strong basket. (Basket/Photo by Nan Bowles)
However, these first basket-like containers would have been constructed with a random weave. Baskets like this can be quite strong and useful but they do not use a regular evenly spaced horizontal-vertical or regular opposing structure which came later according to my theory.
While weaverbird's nests were probably not the only animal structures (such as spider webs) that inspired early hominini, these birds are known for their remarkable nests, hence the name, weaverbird.
Unlike an ape nest that was anchored in a tree, early hominini were learning to design a portable space. i.e., a basket, and it was a tool that was created with a specific purpose in mind.
And just as important as the birds' techniques of building, was the model the birds provided. Their nests were not open like most bird and ape nests; they were instead compact containers.
A type of basket often carried by indigenous hunter-gatherer women around the world.
The photo is of a nomadic hunter-gatherer Savanna Pumé woman in the Venezuelan savanna on a hunting and gathering trip.
The photo is of a nomadic hunter-gatherer Savanna Pumé woman in the Venezuelan savanna on a hunting and gathering trip.
MIDDLE PALEOLITHIC
Terra Amata is the world's oldest building made by hominini.
This photo shows a recreation of this possible Homo erectus building using the evidence of post holes. The site has been dated to about 300,000 years old. The level of skill and the regularity of the design indicates that these hominini may have begun to also make baskets with the same kind of advanced structure.
After perhaps more than a million years this initial weaving developed into a highly sophisticated regular evenly spaced construction that was made with opposing stands (or strands at right angles) in the Middle Paleolithic. At this more developed stage, horizontal strands alternated in a regular pattern. They went over and under opposing vertical strands and the next horizontal strand went the opposite way, i.e., under and over when the previous strand had been over and under.
Making a basket out of bamboo.
The photo clearly shows the wide stiff vertical spokes around which the weaver strands are interlaced at right angles to the spokes.
The photo clearly shows the wide stiff vertical spokes around which the weaver strands are interlaced at right angles to the spokes.
"Yurok and Karok baskets."
This technology was a breakthrough. It was versatile and scalable. The weaving could be open or closed, soft or hard, used in conjunction with wood, and much more. Both small and quite large items could be made. Coiled basketry was probably developed later with twine that was sewn vertically against the coil. Cordage was probably invented during this later stage as well.
Opposing structure.
A basket made from the common karagumoy plant that grows wild in the Bicol region of the Philippines. Karagumoy strips are used to make hats, mats, and a variety of baskets
.
This shows a contemporary African 'burden basket' worn on the back by hunter-gatherer women,
It is used to collect and gather fruit, seeds, vegetables, firewood, materials, small game, etc.
It is used to collect and gather fruit, seeds, vegetables, firewood, materials, small game, etc.
LEFT: Carrying Basket, Paiute Indians, Utah.
(Aboriginal American Basketry, 1904, Fig. 185, p. 494)
RIGHT: "Apache Indian woman carrying a "Kathak" on her back, Arizona, ca.1880."
(University of Southern California, ca.1880, Apache Indian woman carrying a "Kathak")
NOTE: If this type of right-angle structure had been invented, this suggests that a cognitive leap had occurred. These baskets and other fiber items were constructed with a kind of horizontal-vertical (X, Y) grid. Once mastered it would allow the sculpting of space; in the case of a basket it was a portable space, that could be designed for a specific need. And also once mastered, it would allow scaling a design to be large or small.
UPPER PALEOLITHIC
TOP: This realistic painting of a bison is about 14,000 years old and was painted by a Paleolithic 'caveman' in the Cave of Altamira in Spain.
This work was done from memory with a multi-colored spray-paint technique in the darkness of the cave. This demonstrates the remarkable skills, powers of observation, and memory humans had in Paleolithic times. (NOTE: This photo was taken of an accurate reproduction of this bison painted on the ceiling at Altamira as visitors are no longer allowed in the cave.)
BOTTOM: A photograph of a European bison today (a somewhat different bison species), shows the accuracy of the cave painting on the top.
[TOP] Precisely made stone lamp, found in the Upper Paleolithic Cave known as Lascaux, dated to about 17,000 years old.
[BOTTOM] Diagram showing the precision with which it was made.
Glory, A., 1961: Le brûloir de Lascaux Gallia préhistoire, Tome 4, 1961. pp. 174-183.
By the Upper Paleolithic, the sophistication of the art and artifacts suggests an advanced technology. It has now been proven (as mentioned earlier) that basketry and also basic weaving were present in the Upper Paleolithic. But based on ethnoarchaeology (the branch of archaeology that studies contemporary 'primitive' cultures) it is my educated guess, that a considerable number of woven-fiber products were made as shown by Native American Indians who lived a nomadic hunter-gatherer existence. (See the Evidence List.)
TECHNOLOGY THAT MAY HAVE BEEN POSSIBLE
IN THE UPPER PALEOLITHIC
An example of scaling.
The invention of right-angle or opposing design meant that basket designs could be scaled to just about any size, large or small.
LEFT: "The [basket that this] grandmother is weaving about herself is to be used as a store for grains and vegetables."
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:American_Indians_-_first_families_of_the_Southwest_(1920)_(14775904322).jpg
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:American_Indians_-_first_families_of_the_Southwest_(1920)_(14775904322).jpg
RIGHT: From small to very large, baskets can be scaled.
Annual report of the Board of Regents of the Smithsonian Institution (1902)
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Annual_report_of_the_Board_of_Regents_of_the_Smithsonian_Institution_(1902)_(17814870494).jpg
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Annual_report_of_the_Board_of_Regents_of_the_Smithsonian_Institution_(1902)_(17814870494).jpg
Large Apache woven basket water jug.
LEFT: Apache Coiled Basket
(Aboriginal American Basketry, 1904, Plate 52, explanation p. 297)
RIGHT: "Apache Indian maiden with an olla on her head, ca.1900"
(University of Southern California, ca. 1900, Apache Indian maiden)
How weaving with a loom might have been done in the Upper Paleolithic.
We know from the clay impressions found by Drs. Adovasio and Soffer that fabric made with a basic plain weave that required a loom existed in the Upper Paleolithic. This photo shows a woman using a small handloom which may have been possible in the Upper Paleolithic.
"Guatemalan woman handloom 1970s."
Traditional reed/fiber boats from around the world.
TOP LEFT: "Tankwa or tangwa: Traditional Ethiopian embarcation from Lac Tana, made of papyrus by Nagades people."
TOP RIGHT: "Reed boat at Ekehagen Prehistoric village outside Åsarp, Falköping Municipality, Västergötland, Västra Götaland County, Sweden."
BOTTOM LEFT: "Reed boat; exhibition in the Doria Castle of Castelsardo, Sardinia, Italy"
BOTTOM RIGHT: "Traditional reed boat on Lake Titicaca, Bolivia."
A traditional rope suspension bridge in South America.
MESOLITHIC
The Mesolithic was a time period of transition between the Upper Paleolithic nomadic hunter-gatherer way of life and the sedentary agricultural Neolithic way of life. During the Mesolithic period, tribes might build houses and remain in one place for a season or two before returning to a nomadic lifestyle.
"Wichita Indian group building a lodge."
Built on an upside-down basket design, these buildings were strong, comfortable, and made with great skill. The interior ribs [TOP) were covered with a thatched roof covering [BOTTOM], a technology still in wide use today in Europe. It is probable that smaller versions of this design were used for individual families. Mesolithic seasonal villages may have had settlements with similar buildings.
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Wichita_Indian_group_building_their_lodge_for_the_Department_of_Anthropology_exhibit_at_the_1904_World%27s_Fair.jpg
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Wichita_Indian_group_building_their_lodge_for_the_Department_of_Anthropology_exhibit_at_the_1904_World%27s_Fair.jpg
"Relatively few tribes of American Indians understood pottery, except in the crudest form. As for basketry, it may be said that every Indian from the land of the Esquimaux down through Mexico was a basket weaver."
American Indians: first families of the Southwest.
American Indians: first families of the Southwest.
NEOLITHIC
I believe this technology reached a near peak in the Neolithic era. It has been proven that during this time large seagoing reed ships were able to travel the Persian Gulf, flax was cultivated and linen clothing from the flax was woven on looms, and large majestic buildings, made entirely out of reeds, were constructed. Also, as I state in the Evidence List, basketry was widely used in the Neolithic era, especially in agriculture, although this aspect has been largely ignored.
Direct Evidence: Neolithic woven bowls
These bowls, found in the cave of Cueva de los Murciélagos in Spain are approx. 6,000 years old and show a high level of weaving skill.
LEFT: Bowl
RIGHT: Detail of bowl
RIGHT: Detail of bowl
_01_A.jpg)
Direct Evidence: Neolithic Sandals
These sandals, found in the cave of Cueva de los Murciélagos in Spain, are approx. 6,000 years old and show a high level of skill. This neo-flip-flop design also shows a design ability as flip-flops are still widely used today. (I bet you even have a pair.)
Large back baskets for agriculture in Slovenia ca. 1963.
I believe that large back-baskets such as these were widely used in the Neolithic era before the invention of pottery. In some areas of the world, they continue to be used today.
A donkey with traditional panniers (side-saddle-type baskets).
Even after the domestication of pack animals, baskets were essential. Heavy-duty reed baskets were used to transport agricultural goods, dredge the channels, carry clay to make bricks, and carry bricks to build buildings.
Coracles or round basket boats.
This is a coracle which is also called a basket boat because its structure was/is created with reeds like a basket. In this picture, one can see the basket-like ribbing inside the boat. These boats have been used for thousands of years and still are today.
This is a recreation of a Neolithic warp-weighted loom about 5300 years ago. The recreation is by The ArcheoParc Schnals Museum of South Tyrol, Italy. The clothing pictured here is also a recreation by the museum and part of their loom display.
FIRST CIVILIZATIONS
These pictures indicate the mass production of critical items such as sacks to carry grain and sandals. They were produced in the thousands. Basketry was also essential and used throughout Egyptian and Mesopotamian agriculture.
Civilization mass-produced what the Neolithic had developed.
While often overlooked, both the Mesopotamians and the Egyptians depended on huge numbers of woven-fiber sacks for holding and transporting grain along with baskets carried by pack animals.
LEFT: Picture from the Sumerian Standard of Ur.
of a person carrying a sack, circa 2600 BCE.
RIGHT: Picture of an Egyptian carrying a sack
from Tombe d'Oumsou, circa 1450 BCE.
Items could now be produced in large quantities.
(TOP) Sandal Maker, Tomb of Rekhmire, Egypt, about 3500 years ago, This is a facsimile from a wall painting.
(BOTTOM) A pair of ancient sandals made from the papyrus reed and from about the same time period as the painting above. These were made in quantity.
Baskets were essential tools for Egyptian agriculture.
This highly developed Neolithic technology was crucial for the emergence of the first civilizations in Mesopotamia who could mass produce these products. I was able to show that Mesopotamia had a critical reed industry and baskets, homes, and fleets of boats all made of reeds were widely used throughout the economy. In addition, heavy-duty baskets were essential for dredging canals and irrigating the fields as well as hauling clay to make bricks. (See the Evidence List.)
Reed and woven-fiber technology at its height.
[TOP] This large reed boat is an artist's conception of a boat docking at a Mesopotamian city around 5000 years ago. While a fanciful painting, it is probably not an inaccurate representation of the highly developed reed technology at that time.
While still in the public domain, the link to this picture is no longer available.
[BOTTOM] Like reed cathedrals, large vaulted mudhifs, as they are called, were made entirely from reeds, including the rope. The largest and best-made ones were used for ceremonial purposes and community gatherings. The interiors often displayed dazzling patterns of light as the light came through the intricate weaving work.
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mudhif_Reception_Hall_(30943793762).jpg
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mudhif_Reception_Hall_(30943793762).jpg
TODAY
Many believe that the weaving of fabric and clothes had its origins in basket weaving. If true the clothes you wear today are derived from ancient woven-fiber technology.
A clothing store today.
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Phuket,_Thailand_December_2021_-_Blue_Dresses.jpg
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Phuket,_Thailand_December_2021_-_Blue_Dresses.jpg
ABOUT MY TENTATIVE THEORYI believe that the ideas and evidence for this theory that I have presented indicate that it could be possible. But I would love to see more evidence that moves it into the realm of the probable.I offer this theory in the hope that others may think it has merit and add to it or modify it or expand it or rework it. For example, they might find new evidence or new ideas or new computer models that support it.I am 78 years old, so I doubt this will happen in my life time. Yet I am very pleased that I have been able to do this work as an independent researcher with the critical help of the Internet both as a resource for documents and research but also for photographs which are often primary evidence.In addition the Internet has given me the ability to publish my ideas and reach a following. My blogs and reprints of these blogs on academic sites have been viewed by more than a quarter of a million people. And on the academic site, Academia.edu, I have over 1000 followers and am ranked at the top 1% of document views.
Traditional Ukrainian straw hat with 'wide gauge' strands.
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EVIDENCE LIST:
A Timeline Of Evidence
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PRE-PALEOLITHIC
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THE CHANGING ENVIRONMENT
Our early ancestors lived in changing grassy and leafy areas in addition to forested areas for more than ten million years. This may mean that our ape ancestors lived in a wide range of environments and therefore would have learned to work with many different plant fibers such as grass, leaves, and forest growth.
"The findings outline paleoecological reconstructions of early ape fossil sites in eastern Africa dated to the early Miocene Epoch — between 23 and 16 million years ago — showing early apes lived in a wide variety of habitats, including open habitats like scrublands and wooded grasslands that existed 10 million years earlier than previously known.
"Some of these habitats included substantial c4 plant biomass, grasses that today characterize tropical savannas."
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Rewriting the story of human evolution: Apes lived in open habitats 10 million years earlier than expect
THE PRE-PALEOLITHIC LIFE FOR HOMINIDS
Apes (our early relatives) made sturdy bedding nests every night using a kind of weaving technology.
"The [orangutan] nests we studied...were strong, safe, and defined structures.
"We demonstrated that the center of the nest is more compliant than the edges.
"These results suggest that orangutans exhibit a degree of technical knowledge and choice in the construction of nests.
It appeared that "the orangutans had selected stronger, more rigid branches for the structural parts of the nest and weaker, flexible ones for the lining..."
"Our findings about the sophistication of the choices that orangutans make in their nest construction also cast light on the likely technological abilities of our early hominin ancestors, although there can never be certainty with regard to their material culture. It has been speculated that nest building may have provided an evolutionary foundation for higher levels of tool use in hominoids by promoting exploratory branch and twig use and nurturing increased cognition and technological skills. In demonstrating patterning in construction and material selection, THIS STUDY ILLUSTRATES A DEGREE OF TECHNICAL KNOW-HOW IN NEST-BUILDING ORANGUTANS, WHICH MAY AID IN THE RECONSTRUCTION OF THE EVOLUTION OF TOOL USE AND TECHNOLOGY IN HUMAN ANCESTORS. [MY EMPHASIS.]
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Nest-building orangutans demonstrate engineering know-how to produce safe, comfortable beds
Study researcher A. Roland Ennos of the University of Manchester, in the United Kingdom, told LiveScience. "It's very similar to weaving a basket, they have to break the branches, weave them together and form a nice, strong, rigid structure.
"They are almost as complex as a man-made shelter you might make...
"They know how the wood is going to break, and they have a feel for how strong they have to make it [the nest]. That shows the apes have intelligence and have a feel for the physics of their environment."
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Apes' simple nests are feats of engineering by Jennifer Welsh
COGNITIVE IMPLICATIONS OF NEST BUILDING
"Although there is an innate component to nest building in great apes, it is not an entirely instinctive behavior. It has been shown that immature individuals build nests more efficiently and of a higher quality when exposed to nest-building adults. This indicates a role for learning and innovation in the building of nests."
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Nest-building orangutans demonstrate engineering know-how to produce safe, comfortable beds
"It has been proffered that a major leap forward in the cognitive evolution of hominoids may first have occurred in the building of nests.
"The study of great apes aids in the understanding of early hominid evolution."
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Coolidge, Frank L.; Wyn, Thomas (2006). "The effects of the tree-to-ground sleep transition in the evolution of cognition in early Homo" (PDF). Before Farming. 2006 (4): Article 11, pp. 11–18. doi:10.3828/bfarm.2006.4.11. Retrieved 6 July 2011.
There is "mounting evidence for social learning and culture in many species of primate. As in humans, the evidence suggests that the juvenile phases of non-human primates’ lives represent a period of particular intensity in adaptive learning from others..."
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The pervasive role of social learning in primate lifetime development
AUSTRALOPITHECUS, LUCY, FALLS OUT OF A TREE
It is now theorized that the death of the famous Australopithecus, Lucy, was caused by her falling out of a tree after nesting for the night. Detailed CT scans (X-rays) showed that her fractures were consistent with a fall.
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"Kappelman and his colleagues speculated that small hominini like Lucy, who stood a mere one meter (three and a half feet) tall and weighed around 27 kilograms (60 pounds), likely nested in the trees at night to protect themselves from potential predators."
A recent study confirmed that:
"Australopithecus species were habitual bipeds but also practiced arboreality (living in trees)..."
Reappraising the palaeobiology of Australopithecus
WALKING UPRIGHT
From at least 6 to 3 million years ago, early humans combined apelike and humanlike ways of moving around. Fossil bones...record a gradual transition from climbing trees to walking upright on a regular basis.
Smithsonian's Human Origins
ALSO
Becoming Human: The Evolution of Walking Upright
Smithsonian Magazine
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START OF THE PALEOLITHIC
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Oxford Languages
Hunter-Gatherer:
A member of a nomadic people who live chiefly by hunting and fishing, and harvesting wild food.
"Hunter-Gatherer,
also called [a] forager, [is] any person who depends primarily on wild foods for subsistence. Until about 12,000 to 11,000 years ago...all peoples were hunter-gatherers. Their strategies have been very diverse, depending greatly upon the local environment; foraging strategies have included hunting or trapping big game, hunting or trapping smaller animals, fishing, gathering shellfish or insects, and gathering wild plant foods such as fruits, vegetables, tubers, seeds, and nuts. Most hunter-gatherers combine a variety of these strategies in order to ensure a balanced diet."
HUNTER-GATHERERS AND BASKETS (my theory)
The ability to make and design baskets, large and small, for a specific purpose and for an individual greatly enhanced a tribe's abilities to hunt and to gather. Strong light baskets became a major contribution to their ability to survive and to give them more power and control. Baskets greatly increased their ability to carry things such as tools or weapons for hunting and to gather things such as fruit or tubers or small game they killed or firewood or materials such as particular stones or fibers to make baskets.
LOWER PALEOLITHIC
Weaverbirds and hominini often lived in close association
They both spent time in and around Baobab trees. Weaverbirds made complex bird nests and their construction exhibited most of the basic elements of basket weaving and making containers.
They both spent time in and around Baobab trees. Weaverbirds made complex bird nests and their construction exhibited most of the basic elements of basket weaving and making containers.
I suggest that early hominini lived in close association with weaverbirds and therefore might have learned basket-making skills by watching and learning from these birds. And there is some evidence to support this view.
There is weaverbird fossil evidence at Olduvai Gorge from about 2 million years ago at the same time that early hominini lived there.
Baobab trees were/are native to the African continent.
Their fruit was an important part of the hominin diet along with honey. Bee's nests were often located in Baobab trees. This was also a favorite place for weaverbirds who often built their nests in Baobab trees.
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Adansonia_digitata_Baobab.JPG
Their fruit was an important part of the hominin diet along with honey. Bee's nests were often located in Baobab trees. This was also a favorite place for weaverbirds who often built their nests in Baobab trees.
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Adansonia_digitata_Baobab.JPG
Anthropologists agree that early hominini camped and spent time around Baobab trees in Africa, which was also a favorite tree for weaverbirds. The fruit of the Baobab tree was part of the hominin diet along with honey. Bee's nests were often located in Baobab trees
Please read these two articles for much more detail and a list of the evidence that was found.
Paleolithic Evidence for an Early Weaving Technology
Evidence That Paleolithic Hominini Lived in Close Association With Weaverbirds and Their Basket-Making Skills
I think it is safe to say, from the above evidence, that early hominini often lived in close association with weaverbirds. And, from that fact, we can infer that they may have picked up some weaving skills from these birds, especially because weaving was not foreign to early hominini since they wove nests to sleep in every night. In addition, the weaverbirds provided a clear model for a completed basket container which hominini could keep in mind as they made their own baskets.
This article of mine suggests that baskets may have been used to gather highly valued stones from a distant location in the Lower Paleolithic.
New Evidence Suggests That Basket Making May Have Begun 2 Million Years Ago
EARLY MIDDLE PALEOLITHIC
Terra Amata is the world's oldest building made by hominini.
This photo shows a recreation of this possible Homo erectus building using the evidence of post holes. The site has been dated to about 300,000 years old. The level of skill and the regularity of the design indicates that these hominini may have begun to also make baskets with the same kind of advanced structure.
Terra Amata is the oldest evidence of a building built by hominini, who were probably Homo erectus. The regularity and structure suggest that they would have also had the know-how to make advanced baskets. It is my educated guess that they had the skills to make baskets with a regular repeating opposing strand structure that would have been a technological breakthrough. It would have allowed the creation of many types of well-made sturdy baskets in many sizes.
My article goes into detail about the similarities between advanced basket making and how the oldest building may have been designed and constructed.
Terra Amata: Does the Oldest Paleolithic Building Site Indicate the Use of Advanced Basket Weaving Technology?
The Invention of Right-Angle Construction in the Paleolithic Era
LATE MIDDLE PALEOLITHIC
Direct evidence of rope made 50 kya
Direct evidence, from microscopic photographs of fiber, proved that early hominini, in this case, Neanderthals, were able to make sophisticated rope out of plant fibers about 50,000 years ago. This not only pushes back the time period for direct evidence of woven-fiber technology it also opens the possibility that woven-fiber technology had been developed before Homo sapiens and this technology began much earlier in the Paleolithic era.
Direct evidence of Neanderthal fibre technology and its cognitive and behavioral implications
A Nature Journal Article Validates Rick Doble's Hypothesis About Paleo Woven-Fiber Technology
ABOUT CORDAGE (ROPE/TWINE)
Most modern people do not realize the complexity of rope.
Small strands are twisted together and then twisted in the opposite direction when wrapped around other similar twine, which in turn is twisted over and again making many layers that are twisted in opposing directions.
Small strands are twisted together and then twisted in the opposite direction when wrapped around other similar twine, which in turn is twisted over and again making many layers that are twisted in opposing directions.
No one knows when cordage was invented. Or whether it came before or after basketry. It is my guess, and this is only an educated guess, that basic basketry with a random structure and large guage strands began first. And this continued for quite a while, as the strands gradually got smaller, the structure more regular, and the spacing more even. This allowed for more basket designs. And it was then that cordage started. It is also my guess that coiled basketry did not happen until later when the stands being used were small. In any case, the invention of cordage was a major breakthrough; it has been called the "String Revolution."
_A.jpg)
It is estimated that there are thousands of ways rope can be knotted.
Rope can tie down, attach, haul, capture, and make nets. The invention of rope was a revolution. This picture is from a Larousse page of some of the knots.
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Knots_Larousse.jpg
Rope can tie down, attach, haul, capture, and make nets. The invention of rope was a revolution. This picture is from a Larousse page of some of the knots.
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Knots_Larousse.jpg
"Ropes and baskets are central to a large number of human activities. They facilitate the transport and storage of foodstuffs, aid in the design of complex tools (hafts, fishing, navigation)...The technological ...applications of twisted fibre technologies are vast.
"Once adopted, fibre technology would have been indispensable and would have been a part of everyday life. "
"Once adopted, fibre technology would have been indispensable and would have been a part of everyday life. "
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Hardy, B. L., Moncel, H., Kerfant, C., Lebon, M., Bellot-Gurlet, L., & Mélard, N. (2019). Direct evidence of Neanderthal fibre technology and its cognitive and behavioral implications. Scientific Reports, 10. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-61839-w
ABOUT THE COGNITIVE IMPLICATIONS OF THIS FIND
This article in Scientific American comments on the above discovery of Neanderthal rope.
"Harvesting the fibers would have required intimate knowledge of the growth and seasonality of the trees. And producing string after one has the raw material is itself mentally demanding, requiring the maker to keep track of multiple, sequential operations at the same time."
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Stone Age String Strengthens Case for Neanderthal Smarts.
Kate Wong, 2020.
ABOUT COGNITION
Please read my article about how the increasing cognitive demands of sophisticated basketry could be studied using insights from educational basket weaving programs that are being offered today to grades K-12.
Basket-Weaving Education & Its Cognitive Aspects by Rick Doble
COGNITIVE ARCHAEOLOGY
A relatively new perspective in paleoanthropology
The article above about "Direct evidence of Neanderthal fibre technology and its cognitive and behavioral implications" and the next article "Hafted spears and the archaeology of mind" refers to inferences made from the evidence that was found. In both cases, the authors make a case for the cognitive abilities of the hominini who made the rope (above) or (below) the hominini who attached stone arrowheads to spears (hafting). Researchers believe they can suggest this because what these people accomplished signaled a complex way of thinking. The hafting took place at about 200 kya and the rope making at about 50 kya.
Wynn, T. (2009). Hafted spears and the archaeology of mind. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 106(24), 9544-9545. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0904369106
The sophistication of these earlier people also suggests that by a few years later, approx. 40 kya, some early Homo sapiens in the Upper Paleolithic could have had advanced knowledge and skills to work with fibers and materials.
While we do not have actual Upper Paleolithic baskets, we do know for certain that weaving had occurred because of the discovery of clay impressions of weaving that were dated to 27,000 years ago.
TOP: This realistic painting of a bison is about 14,000 years old and was painted by a Paleolithic 'caveman' in the Cave of Altamira in Spain.
This work was done from memory with a multi-colored spray-paint technique in the darkness of the cave. This demonstrates the remarkable skills, powers of observation, and memory humans had in Paleolithic times.(NOTE: This photo was taken of an accurate reproduction of this bison painted on the ceiling at Altamira as visitors are no longer allowed in the cave.)
BOTTOM: A photograph of a European bison today (a somewhat different bison species), shows the accuracy of the cave painting on the top.
[TOP] Precisely made stone lamp, found in the Upper Paleolithic Cave known as Lascaux, dated to about 17,000 years old.
[BOTTOM] Diagram showing the precision with which it was made.
Glory, A., 1961: Le brûloir de Lascaux Gallia préhistoire, Tome 4, 1961. pp. 174-183.
But we do have evidence that implies a high level of knowledge and skill. A remarkably precise stone lamp was found in the Lascaux Cave in France. And an accurate cave painting of a bison was painted in color with a type of spray paint technology in the Cave of Altamira in Spain. This painting was made deep inside a dark cave so the painting relied on the artist's memory. These two pieces of evidence were so advanced, it is likely that, by the late Upper Paleolithic era, these people would have also mastered advanced basket weaving or woven-fiber technology skills.
So while we cannot point to a specific Upper Paleolithic basket, we can say that these people probably had the skills and cognitive abilities to make a range of woven-fiber products.
UPPER PALEOLITHIC
Drs. Jim Adovasio and Olga Soffer proved that clay impressions of basketry and weaving found in a Paleolithic cave were 27,000 years old thus placing advanced woven-fiber technology in the Upper Paleolithic.
Find Suggests Weaving Preceded Settled Life
Soffer, O., AdovasioJ, M., Hyland, D. C., Klíma, B., Svoboda, J. "Perishable Industries from Dolní Vestonice I: New Insights into the Nature and Origin of the Gravettian." Paper Prepared for the 63rd Annual Meeting
of the Society for American Archaeology
Seattle, Washington, 25–29 March 1998. DolniVestonice.pdf.
EVIDENCE ABOUT THE UPPER PALEOLITHIC BASED ON
ETHNOARCHAEOLOGY
Ethnoarchaeology:
The branch of archaeology that studies contemporary primitive cultures and technologies as a way of providing analogies and thereby patterns for prehistoric cultures.
Ethnoarchaeology suggests that nomadic hunter-gatherer Native American Indians who made a wide variety of baskets, some even for carrying water and others for cooking, lived like European nomadic hunter-gatherers of the Upper Paleolithic. And we have many actual baskets and woven-fiber items that show both diversity and skill. Furthermore, these Indians preferred basketry over pottery as it was lighter, did not break, and could be made with plants that were available at almost any location. Anthropologists generally agree these American Indians lived a life that was similar to people who lived during the Upper Paleolithic in Europe.
"Relatively few tribes of American Indians understood pottery, except in the crudest form. As for basketry, it may be said that every Indian from the land of the Esquimaux down through Mexico was a basket weaver."
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American Indians: first families of the Southwest.
Please read my in-depth articles about this era.
The Development of Advanced Woven-Fiber Technology in the Paleolithic Era: Insights from Paleo-Indian Artifacts and Ethnoarchaeology By Rick Doble
The History and Final Acceptance of a Rejected Idea: Basket-Weaving in the Paleolithic Era
NEOLITHIC
Neolithic woven artifacts from the Cueva de los Murciélagos in Spain are well preserved and are direct evidence of highly skilled, complex, precise, well-designed weaving. These artifacts are dated between 5200 and 4800 BC, or about 7000 BP.
Photographs of some of the artifacts.
Category: Artefacts from the Cueva de los Murciélagos in the Museo Arqueológico Nacional de España
See more about this (esparto grass was a major resource for Spanish woven materials):
The prehistoric exploitation of esparto grass (Stipa tenacissima L.) on the Iberian Peninsula: characteristics and use
In Israel's Judean Desert archaeologists found a very large complete complex basket made 10,000 years ago during the early Neolithic period.
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Oldest woven basket in the world found in Israel, dates back 10,000 years.
"Indian in canoe made of rushes, Calif., 1924."
Notice the basket in the bow of her 'tule'.
"Large seagoing Neolithic boats and boat traffic has been established in the Persian Gulf area. While evidence of 7 ka puts these boats in the Neolithic era, it also suggests that the first small simple reed and fiber boats were made many thousands of years earlier. Boats such as this were certainly possible in the Upper Paleolithic, especially when constructed with bitumen."
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Carter, "Boat remains and maritime trade in the Persian Gulf during sixth and fifth millennia BC," pp. 52-63.
ALSO:
Carter, "Neolithic origins of seafaring in the Arabian Gulf," pp.44-47.
While the Neolithic era is known for its invention of pottery and the domestication of animals, these innovations were not accomplished until about the last third of the Neolithic era. Before pottery, it is my opinion, baskets were widely used. For example, I believe they were used to bring in the harvest from the field. After the invention of pottery woven-fiber technology continued to be widely used where it was appropriate. Advanced woven-fiber technology was used to make boats and houses and many other items. Once donkeys were domesticated baskets were used to haul goods and materials on these pack animals. So woven-fiber technology continued to be a critical part of Neolithic life and continued to be developed, including the invention of large textile looms and linen clothing.
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Basket Weaving and Woven-Fiber Technology in the Pre-Pottery Neolithic (PPN)
FIRST CIVILIZATIONS
This drawing proves that these reed boats were important and being used as late as 700 BCE.
(TOP) Mesopotamian small reed boats in a battle circa 700 BCE.
A drawing made from the relief of the battle (bottom).
Picture from A History of Babylon.
(King, Leonard. A History of Babylon. London, Chatto and Windus, 1915, p. 201.)
BOTTOM The original of the above drawing.
A relief depicting a military campaign circa. 700 BCE, showed that smaller reed boats were widely used and had been used up to that time.
From the South-West Palace at Ninevah, Iraq. British Museum.
With written history and direct evidence in Mesopotamia, I was able to possibly prove that Mesopotamia had a large reed industry that was used throughout the culture and the economy. I was able to prove this by showing that reed bundles were one of the largest categories, if not the largest category, of materials being delivered to ports. This was shown by cuneiform receipts. And I was able to find a relief of reed boats in battle dating to circa 700 BCE. Plus I was able to find more than one hundred words relating to basketry and reed work in Mesopotamian languages. Furthermore, there was clear evidence of houses and large buildings being made of reeds. And just as important, baskets were revered and held a religious significance that harkened back to their earliest myths.
The Sacred Basket-Bearing Consecration Ritual By The King.
Before construction began on a Mesopotamian temple, a huge ziggurat, the king of that city performed a basket-bearing ceremony -- indicating that baskets had a sacred meaning. Some myths considered basketry to be one of the first, if not the first, human craft and important to survival.
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Assurbanipal_als_hogepriester.jpg
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Assurbanipal_als_hogepriester.jpg
So the use of reeds and woven-fiber technology was pervasive in Mesopotamia. It is my opinion that this first civilization could not have emerged without this technology. High-quality reeds grew wild and there was an endless supply. The products made from reeds included (but were not limited to) rope, heavy-duty baskets used to dredge the canals (critical for their agriculture), baskets used to haul clay for making bricks, baskets sealed with bitumen used to irrigate the fields, large and small houses made entirely of reeds, and fleets of different types of large and small boats made from reeds.
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The Crucial Importance of Basket Weaving Technology for the World's First Civilizations
Mesopotamian Ancient Basket Weaving Technology and the Sumerian Reed Industry
Baskets were also essential tools for Egyptian agriculture and culture including sandals, boats, and sacks for hauling grain.
MODERN TIMES
A Modern Clothing Outlet.
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Phuket,_Thailand_December_2021_-_Blue_Dresses.jpg
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Phuket,_Thailand_December_2021_-_Blue_Dresses.jpg
AND WHAT ABOUT TODAY?
All the woven clothes you wear, the sheets and blankets on your bed, the upholstery covers, and fabric used for a variety of purposes probably had their origins with woven-fiber technology.
PALEOLITHIC ARTICLES TOGETHER
The Illustrated Theory of Paleo Basket-Weaving Technology by Rick Doble
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