Abstract:

As one of forming ways to make textiles, the  braid is used as daily supply. For tracing its origin and appearing independence, by the real object of braiding, ancient writing and other impressions or traces of braiding on determined implements (such as stone implement, bone implement, pottery, etc.), we have obtained the time sequence of the appearance of braids and braiding trails, so that braiding can be dated back to Mid Paleolithic. Thus, the origin of braids should be of primitive tools, and further, the matters formed by means of braiding, knotting, or twisting, all belong to the soft tools which are the tools with the "jointing " function in all. So, referring to the naming of stone implement or pottery, they can be named in braiding-, knotting- and twisting-formed tool, respectively. They are soft tools, while different from “dividing” functional stone implement, namely textile tool. Because of the difference of twisting formed tool (like rope), braiding tool(like railing), knotting tool(like net) in using function and forming way, they are all independent. Based on their degree of difficulty in making, especially their new tools, and the property that braiding can make a rope, thereby proving the appearance of new braiding tool is slightly earlier than rope.

Key words: braiding, vestige, Paleolithic, saquence