A 3,000-year-old pair of trousers recently found in China could be the oldest pair of pants ever discovered and may link the garment to the practice of using horses for transportation, researchers said.

Unearthed at the Yanghai cemetery, an ancient burial ground in Western China, two pairs of pants were found on adult men who were around age 40 when they died, The Washington Post reported.

The trousers were found in two tombs dated between the 13th and 10th century B.C., according to The Telegraph. The horse bit, whip and other riding gear discovered along with the pants support the idea that wearing pants and riding horses became common around the same time.

"During normal movements the inner parts of the legs, the crotch and the lower abdomen are not exposed to friction over an extended period of time," lead researcher Mayke Wagner of the German Archaeological Institute in Berlin told New Scientist. "This only becomes an issue when straddling a horse daily."

The robes, tunics and togas worn by men and women were fine for ordinary movement but not helpful for horseback riding. Tailors put together three pieces of cloth for a simple but innovative solution.

"The surprise in these trousers is the woven cross-stepped [crotch piece] that provides the expected functional aspects of crotch protection and full movement, but also coverage of the inner thigh that is needed on horseback," Abby Lillethun, an associate professor of art and design at Montclair State University, told New Scientist.

The research team published the new findings in a study in the journal Quarternary International.

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