3000 Years Old Trousers Discovered in Ancient Chinese Tomb

A pair of trousers found in a Chinese graveyard might just be the oldest ever found.

The clothing is thought to date back a staggering 3,000 years, and despite the fact the ancient apparel has undergone considerable wear and tear, it still looks remarkably intact. The find was made along with a host of other clothing items in the Yanghai tombs in China's vast Tarim Basin.

The age of the trousers was estimated using radiocarbon dating and their design, perhaps understandably, was fairly primitive compared to modern standards. In total. the two pairs were each made of three pieces of cloth - one for each leg and one for the crotch. A belt of sorts had been fashioned from strings, while the garments themselves were decorated with a woven design. The Yanghai tombs are a vast ancient cemetery spanning approximately 580,000 square feet (54,000 square meters).

The hot and dry climate in the area known as the Tarim Basin has helped to preserve corpses, clothing and other artefacts for thousands of years. Since digs at the site began in the 1970s, over 500 tombs have been excavated with numerous finds made.

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