Close to 100,000 years ago, ancient humans embarked on what became one of humanity’s most daunting challenges: survival against the frigid temperatures of the last Ice Age as they expanded into new, unexplored parts of the world.
Facing the extreme temperatures of the Pleistocene epoch was one of the many dangers our ancient ancestors faced, and doing so required donning materials far better suited for protection against the cold than bare human skin.
Simple use of animal hides draped around the waist or shoulders may have sufficed against moderate cold, but as humans wandered farther north, eventually encountering the massive ice sheets that encased Earth’s poles during the ice age, more rugged and well-insulated outerwear became a necessity—and creating it required a novel technological development of the ancient world.
Now, a study led by University of Wyoming adjunct assistant professor McKenna Litynski, a recent Ph.D. graduate in anthropology, points to the use of a particular kind of Ice Age invention—needles and awls—which played a crucial role in helping humans defend against extreme cold by allowing sewn clothing to be assembled.
This, in addition to the use of these items in administering medicine, etching, the creation of body markings, and in ceremonial use.
Ancient Migrations and Extreme Cold
As humans began their outward expansion into new frontiers during the last Ice Age, their ancient journeys brought them to some of Earth’s most unforgiving environments. It has long been held that to survive such conditions, humans must have relied on more advanced clothing, which also suggested the key role of early sewing needles, either crafted from wood or from far more durable animal bone.
However, confirming this idea has been difficult, partially because even needles made from harder materials like bone can be lost over vast periods of tens of thousands of years.
Opting for a data-driven approach, Litynski conducted a quantitative study where, by utilizing hundreds of resources that included ethnographic information from the last two centuries in North America, she was able to analyze patterns that emerged in the use of needles and awls.
Now, in a newly published study, Litynski and her co-authors argue that the data strongly link clothing production with needles and awls as their most common use throughout time.
“It is through examining needles and awls from different lenses that archaeologists like me can reveal their capacity to unravel the broader story of human ingenuity, adaptability, and cultural evolution over the last several thousands of years and throughout the world,” Litynski said in a recent statement.
Modeling Ancient Clothing
By employing statistical modeling, Litynski and her colleagues found that mentions of the use of needles increased in colder environments, which they say links the use of this specific technology to the thermoregulation required in colder environments.
From their research, it was clear that needles and awls are most closely linked to clothing production, as evidenced by around 14 percent of all ethnographic observations the team observed. Based on further analysis, the team discovered a 52 percent probability of needle use emerged with relation to temperatures of −35.5°C, whereas by comparison, a 37 percent probability emerged with relation to temperatures of around reach +12.9°C.
“These results support the hypothesis that thermoregulation, particularly clothing manufacture, was a major driver of perforator tool use while simultaneously revealing that such tools were also commonly deployed in a wide array of activities,” Litynski and her colleagues write in their study.
The new ethnographic analysis, they argue, helps to offer “insight into the environmental and socio-cultural factors that influenced the use of perforators and thus inform our understanding of an artifact class that is increasingly observed in the archaeological record.”
Other Uses of Ancient Needles
The study also reveals other uses for needles in the ancient world. Somewhat less frequently than for use in clothing production, needles and awls were nonetheless found to be used in medical suturing, creation of tattoos, as well as basketry, and even for the collection of food through fishing.
Needles and awls also played a role in the collection of basketry and cordage, in addition to having been used in various ceremonial activities, thereby extending the use of these ancient technologies well beyond just the coldest environments.
Fundamentally, the team’s findings highlight the diversity of needle use in the ancient and modern world and help to confirm long-held theories about their important role in facilitating human expansion throughout the Ice Age world.
Even more fundamentally, Litynski says that studying the use of relatively humble ancient technologies like needles and awls, it offers archaeologists like her a rare look into the lives of the ancient people who once relied on their use for survival in an often unforgiving ancient world.
“Ultimately, it is not only the tools themselves that are significant,” Litynski says, but “the people who once used these objects in the past.”
The recent paper, “Ethnographic meta-analysis shows that thermoregulation activities predict needle and awl use in North America,” by McKenna Lynn Litynski, Sean Field, and Randall Haas, appeared in PLOS One on March 5, 2026.
Micah Hanks is the Editor-in-Chief and Co-Founder of The Debrief. A longtime reporter on science, defense, and technology with a focus on space and astronomy, he can be reached at micah@thedebrief.org. Follow him on X @MicahHanks, and at micahhanks.com.