Intro:
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the last 12 months have been the warmest in the U.S. since 1895—the year we started keeping temperature records. I believe it. My legs, which are wrapped in two pieces of denim from Monday to Saturday, have never been so sweaty. And they are only going to get hotter. How did this happen? Why do men wrap their thighs in pants instead of tunics or togas, kilts or kimonos?
In a series of intriguing posts at the Social Evolution Forum, Peter Turchin, an ecologist and evolutionary biologist at the University of Connecticut, suggests that we can blame being hot on the horse. Take, for example, the Romans, who traditionally wore tunics. As Roman soldiers began to use cavalry in battle they started covering their legs to make riding more comfortable. Knights of the middle ages, who were often on horseback, continued this practice for the same reason. Because of this, “wearing pants,” Turchin writes, “became associated with high-status men, and gradually spread to other males.”