Sewn Ice Age Clothing Discovered in Oregon Cave

Artifacts reveal complex technology used by Indigenous Americans to survive freezing temperatures

Published on Feb. 11, 2026

Got story updates? Submit your updates here. ›

Researchers have discovered the oldest known sewn clothing in the world, dating back around 12,000 years to the last ice age. The pieces of animal hide, cordage, and needles were found in an Oregon cave and provide evidence that Indigenous people in North America used sophisticated technology to shield themselves from the cold, including sewing hides together for tight-fitting clothing. The discovery pushes back the timeline for when humans began wearing complex, tailored garments.

Why it matters

This finding challenges previous assumptions about the technological capabilities of Ice Age peoples in North America, showing they had developed advanced sewing and clothing-making skills as a means of survival and social expression in the harsh conditions of the late Pleistocene. The discovery of these perishable artifacts also provides a rare glimpse into the material culture of Indigenous communities from that time period.

The details

The sewn hide, hide fiber, braided cords and knotted bark were originally uncovered in 1958 in two Oregon caves. Radiocarbon dating has now confirmed the artifacts date back around 12,000 years, to the Younger Dryas period of sudden cooling at the end of the last ice age. The sewn hide is "quite possibly a fragment of clothing or footwear," representing the only known item of Pleistocene clothing recovered to date. Researchers also found 37 fiber cords, 15 wooden implements, and 17 bone needles, some with intricate decorative elements, suggesting clothing was used not just for survival but also as a form of social expression and identity.

  • The sewn hide, cords, and other artifacts date to between 12,600 and 11,880 years ago, during the Younger Dryas period.
  • The eyed bone needles disappeared from the archaeological record in Oregon after around 11,700 years ago, as the climate warmed.

The players

Richard Rosencrance

A doctoral researcher in anthropology at the University of Nevada, Reno and the lead author of the study.

Cervus canadensis

The North American elk, whose hides were used to make the sewn clothing found in the Oregon caves.

Got photos? Submit your photos here. ›

What they’re saying

“We already knew they did, we just had to assume and guess what they were like. They were accomplished and serious sewists during the Ice Age.”

— Richard Rosencrance, Doctoral researcher in anthropology (Live Science)

What’s next

Researchers plan to continue studying the artifacts to learn more about the specific techniques and materials used by Indigenous people to create these complex sewn garments and other perishable technologies during the last ice age.

The takeaway

This discovery provides rare and invaluable insight into the advanced survival skills and material culture of Indigenous communities in North America at the end of the Pleistocene, challenging previous assumptions and expanding our understanding of how they adapted to the harsh conditions of the last ice age.