Ancient Gloves

This exceptionally rare organic artifact — a pair of gloves dates to the 8th–7th centuries BCE and is associated with the culture of Chach.
Textile objects of such antiquity survive only under specific climatic and burial conditions.
The gloves are made of fine textile fibers, possibly silk, and were dyed with natural pigments that may have included plant-based or mineral colorants. Even at this early stage, Central Asia participated in networks of long-distance exchange that predated the formalization of the Silk Roads.
The anatomically shaped fingers indicate a developed level of tailoring skill. Such gloves may have belonged to an individual of elevated social standing and could have served practical purposes, such as riding or hunting, as well as symbolic or ritual functions.
This artifact provides insight into the complexity of early Central Asian material culture.