Neolithic Clothing in the Game?

I just received a first release copy of this book by Ian Gilligan. If you were interested in prehistoric clothing and the bassist and arguments behind the foundation of its utility, this is the book for you. I will probably post any interesting bits that I find that may be applicable to the game, do I have a pretty good understanding of Neolithic clothing to begin with. I hope desperately to learn new things that I didn’t know, is that is extremely important.

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Let us not forget the importance of animism within the game as it pertains to clothing. Neolithic people likely became one with animals, at least spiritually within their religious context. Wearing the animals hide, antlers, feathers and so on we’re probably mechanisms to enhance or even activate this animism, as far as they believed. We see this in a lot of their art and things that have been recovered.

With this in mind, I have been making early Neolithic antler headdresses in an attempt to recreate some of these Nifty items.

Here we see a row deer antler headdress. I had the antlers imported from Latvia to make sure they were authentic, as that species of deer does not live in the United States where I live.


I also created a deer antler and skull headdress using a North American Whitetail Deer, though I might remake it with a more authentic red deer.

Such animal decorations should be worn during rituals, major events, hunts and perhaps during Warfare

So, how to early Neolithic folk handle really cold weather? Perhaps like this. Early Western European Neolithic Winter Clothing - 5500BCE. I may make other outfits soon, but this ensemble is the latest lol

I wore this last night down to 10F with -F wind chill. It was quite warm and withstood the wind great! All made by hand \o/

[Click to see larger image]

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Neolithic Textile Dresses/Skirts


It is important to consider that Neolithic textiles were rather limited for most of the period. When used, Neolithic textiles were likely confined to single panels of cloth, mostly being a simple, plain weave (i.e. “tabby weave”). There have been a few recovered samples, but most are plain (a few are rather complex and if @Uncasual wants, I will email photos of more complex patterns)

You can expect nearly all clothing to be hide, fur, etc, but when textiles are used, they are often simple. Possible configurations include wrapping around the waist (like a towel) and securing with a cord.

Upper body would be bare in the summer and warm seasons, but when it was cooler, a second cloth panel might be wrapped around the upper body like a towel.

Cloth may also have been used in simple garments, like loincloths. In general, Neoltihic weavers during the early and middle of the Neolithic likely made small strips of cloth which could be sewn into larger strips.

This squareness comes from the fact that looms create square or rectangle panels. Cutting modern fabric is easy due to the extremely thin string and high thread density. This doesn’t exists in the Neolithic, so cutting a panel required hours of carefully hem stitching the cut parts to keep it from coming apart.

This image is one of the most accurate I have seen for the later Neolithic. Notice their roughly spun fibers with very rough warp closures and finishing? This is what cloth looks like with very thick strings you get from a drop spindle. If their skin were just a little darker, this image would be totally accurate! @Uncasual should certainly use this image to help with clothing and the look for Neolithic people.

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ESRB

I have spoken many times about how ESRB ratings contrary to prehistoric clothing. But after writing the review for Dawn of Man, I came to realize that there is a solution which keeps ESRB and provides accuracy.


[Realistic summer clothing]


[Silly fake top]

There doesn’t need to be full nudity, as this isn’t particularly accurate outside of special situations. However, the problem occurs with women’s upper bodies which men sexualize. keep in mind that the act of covering them up is itself sexist as it implies that they have to be considered sexual, and different from the men who are often bare chested.

Solution: during the warmest months when this is likely to happen, simply use hair models and necklaces that cover anything up while maintaining realism. they did this in the movie Avatar and Blue Lagoon to keep their rating, while maintaining authenticity, as it were. you’ll notice that everything you’ll notice that everything worked out great.

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Here is a really epic website full of prehistoric clothing pictures.
It is for the Mesolithic, but early to middle Neolithic looks nearly the same.

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For those who still think that lengthy linen outfits and complex clothing existed in the Neolithic, consider the case of Egtved Girl.

She was a woman likely born in Black Forest Germany who died in early Nordic Bronze Age Denmark, around 1390-70BCE at the age of 16-18. She was buried in a log coffin with a child at her feet (assuming it was not hers as that’s a bit young for a child). Luckily, her beautiful clothing and other possessions survived until today!

The image below was commissioned by me but is based on her exact outfit. This is what it looked like. The skirt is a string skirt perhaps used for dancing. Notice how much simpler this garment is that what is normally portrayed in Neolithic illustrations in museums? This outfit is 2000-5000 years more advanced, yet no wear near as advanced as what books show. When we actually find examples of ancient clothing, they never look like the book.

Neolithic clothing is much simpler than later clothing.

I am starting a project to remake her entire outfit using only bronze age tools and techniques - a full museum quality reproduction.

Roberto Fortuna & Kira Ursem, Nationalmuseet, Danmark, DO-4368-Egtvedpigens dragt, CC BY-SA 2.5

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Please note your opinions are not consistent with modern a day censor and therefore do not exist in history much like the historical representation of dress in the 60’s grey drab and floor length. And showing a belly-button no no that is just scandalous :unamused:

As always @lotus253 I admire your dedication to detail and the realities of neolithic life look forward to seeing your Neolithic performer as i do not think this outfit was was designed for the field. Alone the research you have done will provide food so to speak for the modders to keep em busy for years.

By the way ever think they just depict Ancient women in lengthy linen outfits because its just easier to draw and animate. :thinking: I know if I drew the animation a lengthy linen outfit would look better than a miniskirt with stick legs. :stuck_out_tongue_closed_eyes:

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I have absolutely no idea where the idea of full-length linen outfits came from. They are not actually more or less covering than proper leather outfits. I think archaeologists tell the illustrators that textiles had been invented, and the illustrators just go with It lol

As for the modesty issues, I have noticed that books from the 50s and 60s properly drew people wearing what they did wear and what was bare. They simply used a tree branch, a pot held in the hands or something like that to obscure any parts they felt they needed to sensor while not actually creating a false impression of what was worn. I think our prude look at clothing has perverted our understanding of clothing and done significant harm.

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I have started a project whereby I am creating clothing for many Neolithic cultures/seasons/activities. Think of it like a web-based paper doll. It will be weeks before the first culture goes up, but soon I will have many.

Current planned cultures:
Linear Pottery Culture 5500BCE
Neolithic Britain 4000BCE & 2000BCE
Natufian 12,000 BCE
Çatalhöyük 6500 BCE
Cucuteni–Trypillia 3500 BCE

Here’s the first sample image


As you can see, it’s a work in progress. Each image will have details on what evidence supports them, citations, etc.

AC can feel free to get as many clothing ideas from this as they like lol

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Okay!

Next item done. I have SO MANY of these to make lol
Each clothing item is a separate layer, so I can mix and match them like a paper doll.
Can’t wait until the interactive website is up

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“Dresses” don’t really exist in the Neolithic. The closest fiber versions might have been something like this. A skirt made from a cloth panel wrapped around the waist and secured with a cord. An optional shawl/cape is added for the upper body. Remove when hot and apply when cold. Both of these are made from rectangular fabric panels, single woven (meaning not sewn). The weave is tabby (meaning simple weave), probably balanced (meaning equal warp/weft).

In this case, the fiber is a simple two strange plyed yarn.


Also, here is a cold weather outfit.
Groin is protected by leather loincloth. Legs are protected by leather leggings. Feet are protected by Otzi the Iceman style cord net and leather shoes, with insulating grass. She also wears a fox fur cap/coat.

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Okay!

I’ve planted, grown, and harvested flax…

I processed it… this takes a long time
EXjWw-0WsAAanQp

I spun it into flax string
EXtlaQwXkAAZSjz

And now I am about to weave it into a Neolithic linen wrap skirt. (here’s my loom)

If you want to know what Neolithic people wore, you need to do more than just read hundreds of books/papers (did that). You also need to recreate the clothing and wear it.

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Kaelu (Neolithic Linear Pottery Culture - right) & Brig’dha (Late Mesolithic Atlantic Archipelago - left) prepare to confront a raiding party to free captives. [From my 1st novel, Ember of a New World, Chapter 18: The Spoils]

April 5499 BCE, Rhine River, N. W. Germany

Thought you might like another illustration of showing an early Neolithic woman (right) and a late Mesolithic woman (left) in springtime garb.

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Okay, early spring wear:

Reed/grass cape to protect from rain.
Leather skirt (roe deer) with deer antler decorations sewn into it.
Leather leggings, (roe deer) with black painted stripes.
Leather shoes

Her face is painted in a classical Linear Pottery Culture design.

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Okay, got my Linear Pottery Culture woman in ritual garb.

C. 5500 BCE, Germany.

  • Roe deer antlers
  • Reddeer hide cape
  • Lime bark fiber string skirt
  • Leather shoes
  • Deer antler necklace

A more accurate example of #Neolithic clothing

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hey, i like the clothes style.
and good that you do this, view of new products that you need for the clothing. super cool. keep it up
Greetings

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Thank you. I will probably dress up a mannequin with real versions of this clothing and body paint, tomorrow. I’ve made all of this clothing for real, and it will be neat to see it that way.

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Okay,

I have made a real-world example of my illustration. As you can see, the real is pretty close.
I had to add the flowers. Sorry, I love flowers lol
Also, those flowers do grow in Europe, so this is still accruate lol

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Love your work! Really amazing!

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