Indus perforated shell button
Botón de concha perforado del Indo
- Date
- c. 2400 BCE · confidence low
- Place
- Mohenjo-daro, Sindh, Pakistan
- Credited to
- Indus Valley Civilisation
- Field
- Tools
⚠️ Disputed: the sources disagree.
What it is
Carved shell pieces with two or more holes, sewn onto clothing as ornaments. They are considered the oldest known buttons, though they were not yet used for fastening.
Their use as a fastener is not proven; most scholars interpret them as ornaments. The functional buttonhole button is European, from the 13th century.
What it led to
- sewn ornamentation on garments
- formal precedent of the functional button