Where it all began

An essentially important element of our evolution as human beings was the ability to develop our primary biological intelligence to the point we became tool makers.

We can be sure all materials in the environment from which we evolved were thoroughly made use of.

Tool use as an evolutionary step enabled the human species with to thrive.

The earliest evidence of leather is roughly 9125 years old (which is only because natural leathers biodegrade perfectly)

Discovery at the site of Çatalhöyük

A Neolithic Proto CityLocated in the Anatolia region of modern day Turkey.

The oldest depiction of an animal being hunted comes from Indonesian island of Sulawesi, dated to more than 51000 years ago.

Putting this into the context of leatherwork

The currently recognised earliest tool use by humans dates to approximately 3,300,000 years ago.

This evolution is evidenced by the discoveries made at archaeological sites in East Africa, by Mary Leakey. 

In sites such as Olduvai Gorge of Tanzania and the Gona River site of Ethiopia.

These hisorical faragments are known as Oldowan tools which were used for cutting, pounding, and processing materials.

So potentially the evidence of processing hide and developing leather work as a primary evolutionary craft which ensured our survival as a species is essentially irrefutable.