Traces of fiber technology on stone tools date back to 39,000 years ago. Stone tools contain microscopic evidence of ancient plant technology, according to a recent study published in the journal PLOSONE. The study was conducted by Hermine Xhauflair of the University of the Philippines Diliman and colleagues.
It is believed that ancient societies made extensive use of plant materials to make textiles and ropes, just as modern societies exploit the flexibility and resistance of plant fibers. However, plant materials like baskets and ropes are rarely preserved in the archaeological record, especially in the tropics, so prehistoric plant technology is often unknown to modern science.
In Southeast Asia, the oldest plant fiber products are about 8,000 years old. In this study, Xhauflair and colleagues found indirect evidence of older plant technology.
Members of the Pala'wan community in Point Brook, Philippines process plant fibers. Source: Xhauflair et al., PLOSONE, 2023, CC-BY4.0
This evidence comes from stone tools from Tabon Cave in Palawan, Philippines, dating back to 39,000 years ago. These tools show minor damage that accumulates during use. Today, indigenous communities in the area use tools to strip plants like bamboo and palm, turning the tough stalks into soft fibers for binding or weaving. Researchers experimentally tracked these plant-processing techniques and found that this activity leaves characteristic patterns of microscopic damage on stone tools. The same pattern was found on three stone tools unearthed from Taben Cave.
This is one of the oldest evidences of fiber technology in Southeast Asia, highlighting the technological level of prehistoric peoples 39,000 years ago. The study also demonstrates a way to reveal hidden signs of prehistoric plant technology. Further research will reveal how old these techniques are, how common they were in the past, and whether modern practices in the region are the result of unbroken traditions.
The authors added: "This study moves the history of fiber technology forward in Southeast Asia. This means that the prehistoric people living in Taben Cave may have made baskets and traps, but also used ropes to build houses, sail boats, hunt with bows and arrows, and make composite objects."