After years of research by an international team of experts, the faithful reconstruction of what is possibly the oldest pair of trousers in the world is being exhibited in Chemnitz for the first time. “With the exhibition, we’re celebrating the invention of our jeans, so to speak,” said the scientific director of the Eurasia Department of the German Archaeological Institute, Mayke Wagner, on Thursday. The original is said to be around 3,000 years old and was found in a grave near Turfan im discovered in western China.An older pair of trousers was not known, emphasized Wagner.
The foyer exhibition in the State Museum of Archeology in Chemnitz not only shows the pants, but also provides information about the find site and the elaborate reconstruction as part of the German-Chinese project “Silk Road Fashion”. It is officially on display from Friday and is part of the “Chic! Jewelry. Power. People.” exhibition, which is scheduled to open on April 1st.