Author Topic: Mesolithic clothing  (Read 46022 times)

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Offline AndrewS

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Re: Mesolithic clothing
« Reply #30 on: February 12, 2010, 07:33:15 pm »
@Pat B
Great pics  :)

Offline Dane

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Re: Mesolithic clothing
« Reply #31 on: February 12, 2010, 08:26:43 pm »
Thanks for putting these up Pat. Very cool outfit, especially the hat and the grass cape.

Dane
Greenfield, Western Massachusetts

Offline Jude

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Re: Mesolithic clothing
« Reply #32 on: February 13, 2010, 10:47:32 am »
From what I've read on the Mesolithic, weaving was well established, so the grass cape would be appropriate.  The main difference between Paleolithic and Mesolithic seems to be the disappearance of the megafauna, which probably explains the adoption of the bow over the atlatl as the game animals became smaller.  I believe that clothing likely varied more by region than it did by time period.  Much of Otzi's gear wouldn't have been out of place in North America 150 years ago.  What works for a given climate works, and stitched clothing dates back to the Paleolithic.  Textiles didn't become dominant until later in the Neolithic, and not until after Otzi's time, in northwestern Europe.  That's evidenced by the fact that most of what he wore were skins.  You could pull from a wide variety of sources and probably be accurate just by avoiding too many "modern" decorative practices, specific to NA peoples, like quilling and fringe.  The term Mesolithic doesn't seem to apply to the Americas, I believe it's Archaic here.  Artwork in Mesolithic Europe became more stylized pictograph, as opposed to the realism of the Paleolithic cave paintings, and more often depicted humans than animals.  Some archaeologists see it as the beginnings of writing, like primitive hieroglyphics.  I'm not sure what there is for any surviving evidence of clothing decoration from that time.  Well, good luck with this, sounds like you'll have alot of fun.  I used to do Medieval reenactment, but I had always wished there were Paleolithic reenactment groups.
"Not all those that wander are lost."--Tolkien
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Offline Barrage

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Re: Mesolithic clothing
« Reply #33 on: February 13, 2010, 05:47:06 pm »
Dane, your one comment made this question pop into my mind...

Any reason why people seem to think Otzi was the victim?  Could he have been the aggressor and got shot in the process?  Did he steal the axe and that's why he had it and all the other valuables on him??  Anyway, good luck with this project, sounds interesting.
Travis

Offline medicinewheel

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Re: Mesolithic clothing
« Reply #34 on: February 13, 2010, 06:03:49 pm »
...
Any reason why people seem to think Otzi was the victim?  Could he have been the aggressor and got shot in the process?  Did he steal the axe and that's why he had it and all the other valuables on him??  A...

Very similar thoughts have crossed my mind before!
Frank from Germany...

Offline Dane

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Re: Mesolithic clothing
« Reply #35 on: February 13, 2010, 08:03:27 pm »
They found trace amounts of asenic on him or in him, so they theorize he worked with copper, maybe even smelted or cast it, so it seems resonable that he was the owner of the axe. That would have been a very desirable thing to have. Perhaps someone was trying to steal it from him, and was willing to shoot him.

Dane
Greenfield, Western Massachusetts

Offline Dane

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Re: Mesolithic clothing
« Reply #36 on: February 13, 2010, 09:44:17 pm »
Good stuff, Jude. A bit part of what attracts me to the mesolithic period is that it is on the cusp of animal husbandry, agriculture, and the development of "civilization." As Steve Watts puts it, the taming of animals tamed humans, and you cant go wild again, only feril.

I think too taht if you took a Mesolithic human and placed him in the archaic period here in NA, he would fit right in. Skin clothing is pretty basic in function and design across cultures and periods, I am guessing. I do understand that woven fabric may date back to the neaderthals. It is ancient, and woven leather belts, and perhaps grass clothing and mats goes back a very long ways, too. These guys were far more advanced then popular images would have us believe, with the "cave men" you see in insurance commercials, and Chaka in Land of the Lost, Flintstones, etc (though they did have traffic lights and cars, lol).

Mesolithic is attractive, too, as we have bow technology. Atlatls I think still play a part, and didnt suddently disappear as soon as someone developed the bow.

Okay, off to watch the olympics. Thanks for the interest, you guys.

Dane





From what I've read on the Mesolithic, weaving was well established, so the grass cape would be appropriate.  The main difference between Paleolithic and Mesolithic seems to be the disappearance of the megafauna, which probably explains the adoption of the bow over the atlatl as the game animals became smaller.  I believe that clothing likely varied more by region than it did by time period.  Much of Otzi's gear wouldn't have been out of place in North America 150 years ago.  What works for a given climate works, and stitched clothing dates back to the Paleolithic.  Textiles didn't become dominant until later in the Neolithic, and not until after Otzi's time, in northwestern Europe.  That's evidenced by the fact that most of what he wore were skins.  You could pull from a wide variety of sources and probably be accurate just by avoiding too many "modern" decorative practices, specific to NA peoples, like quilling and fringe.  The term Mesolithic doesn't seem to apply to the Americas, I believe it's Archaic here.  Artwork in Mesolithic Europe became more stylized pictograph, as opposed to the realism of the Paleolithic cave paintings, and more often depicted humans than animals.  Some archaeologists see it as the beginnings of writing, like primitive hieroglyphics.  I'm not sure what there is for any surviving evidence of clothing decoration from that time.  Well, good luck with this, sounds like you'll have alot of fun.  I used to do Medieval reenactment, but I had always wished there were Paleolithic reenactment groups.
Greenfield, Western Massachusetts

Offline AndrewS

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Re: Mesolithic clothing
« Reply #37 on: February 23, 2010, 11:59:12 am »
Here you can see my new Ötziquiver :)

[attachment deleted by admin]

Offline medicinewheel

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Re: Mesolithic clothing
« Reply #38 on: February 23, 2010, 04:21:16 pm »
Really nice Andrew! Is that chamois??
Frank from Germany...

Offline AndrewS

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Re: Mesolithic clothing
« Reply #39 on: February 23, 2010, 05:54:34 pm »
@medicinewheel

yes this is a winterfur of chamois. I think a summerfur is easier to work, cause the hairs are not so long and the undercoat in the winterfur is very thick and and compact.
The quiver is mostly worked out with very simple tools (a very sharp kitchen knife, a needle for braiding, an a sharpend skrew driver used as a awl. Only the holes in the stiffener sapling and in the antler pieces are made with a powerdrill and with more patience I would have used a handdrill....)

Offline Dane

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Re: Mesolithic clothing
« Reply #40 on: February 24, 2010, 07:36:49 am »
Very nice, Andreas. I did join the site and the buildalong is easy enough to follow along, so I wont have any problems. I will of course ask questions if I need to. I like the extra flap to keep the arrows in, too.

Dane
Greenfield, Western Massachusetts

Offline Cromm

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Re: Mesolithic clothing
« Reply #41 on: February 24, 2010, 08:58:30 am »
I like the quiver. Is the flap to stop the rain from getting onto the feathers?
Great Britain.
Home of the Longbowman.

Offline AndrewS

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Re: Mesolithic clothing
« Reply #42 on: February 24, 2010, 09:23:37 am »
@cromm
yes, the flap of deerhide is to stop the rain from getting onto the feathers. And the flap out of the fur is to stop the arrows from falling out, when you walking, running or hold the quiver headside down and so on ;)

Offline animus_divinus

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Re: Mesolithic clothing
« Reply #43 on: February 11, 2011, 08:32:00 pm »
maybe i should post some logic on the otzi story... theres evidence he also farmed goats... so having worked with copper, raised goats, ask yourself what he was doing in the glaciers?... theyre inhospitable now, even moreso then, the only reason someone would go into these regions is to deter someone from following.. since his bowstave was unfinished, being that far in the mountains would have been even worse

so most likely.. something happened, most likey broke, or was accused of breaking some law, and hastily grabbed his tools including an unfinished bowstave, and fled into the mountains planning to complete the bow when he was in the clear... if whoever killed him was just some criminal after his goods, he would have taken the tools

also, from what i could gather the profile of the otzi bow probably would have been a standard D-shape longbow which my guess is would have been pretty similar to the english longbow, which wasnt uncommon throughout europe before and after the roman empire, and throughout regions that werent part of the empire (romans themselves used composite recurves)

Offline Sparrow

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Re: Mesolithic clothing
« Reply #44 on: February 14, 2011, 12:38:37 am »
 The world was and is a hard place.Go to Mid-Africa or Afganistan now,carrying good weapons and crossing country alone and see just what happens, For that matter,walk thru any urban slum alone and see what happens,(even wolves tread lightly). Nothing wrong with it,it has always been the way.
Can't beat a breach-clothe and a vest with good pockets in the warm,add leggings and a pullover for cool.And of course,good moc's  '  Frank
Frank (The Sparrow) Pataha, Washington