Olga Soffer, a prominent archaeologist whose research transformed understanding of prehistoric clothing and the role of women in early textile production, died on June 20 at her home in Los Angeles. She was 83. Her death was confirmed by her daughter, Alex Beattie, though no cause was disclosed.

Before embarking on her distinguished academic career, Soffer worked in the fashion industry. As a special events coordinator for the Brooklyn department store Abraham & Straus during the 1960s, she organized fashion shows and promotional events. However, after more than a decade, she sought greater intellectual challenges and returned to school, ultimately pursuing anthropology and archaeology.

Soffer became one of the leading experts on the Upper Paleolithic period, dedicating her research to uncovering evidence of textile manufacture and the daily lives of prehistoric peoples. Her work challenged the long-held belief that Ice Age clothing was limited to animal hides. Instead, she demonstrated that ancient humans produced woven fabrics, string skirts, caps, belts, nets, and baskets thousands of years earlier than previously thought.

In the 1990s, Soffer’s breakthrough came amid the analysis of over 26,000-year-old fired-clay fragments from prehistoric sites in present-day Czechia. Using magnification, she identified faint parallel impressions on the fragments that she hypothesized were remnants of woven plant fibers. This discovery was later confirmed with the support of James M. Adovasio, an expert in ancient fiber technologies. Their collaboration helped establish these artifacts as the earliest known evidence of textile production.

Further research led Soffer to reexamine Venus figurines from Europe, where she identified carved details depicting various garments such as caps, belts, and skirts. Drawing on ethnographic parallels, she posited that women were the primary producers of textiles and related craftwork in prehistoric societies, as they have been historically and cross-culturally. She also argued that nets and woven tools allowed women to contribute to hunting activities, particularly for small game, thereby broadening traditional views of gender roles in ancient communities.

Born Olga Aleksandrovna Shabunin on September 9, 1942, in Belgrade during World War II, she experienced a tumultuous childhood marked by war and displacement. Her family eventually immigrated to the United States in 1955, settling in Brooklyn. Soffer studied political science at Hunter College before entering the fashion industry, and later transitioned to graduate studies in anthropology and archaeology. She earned a master’s degree in 1975 and completed doctoral work focused on prehistoric Eastern Europe.

Soffer held faculty positions at Hunter College, Lehman College, the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, and from 1985 at the University of Illinois. Her archaeological fieldwork included excavations in Russia and Ukraine, often conducted under challenging conditions and amid predominantly male, Soviet-era academic circles.

Her contributions to archaeology and anthropology were widely recognized and credited with shifting perspectives on prehistoric life and the complexities of material culture beyond stone tools and weapons. Colleagues praised her determination and innovative approach, noting that she highlighted overlooked aspects of human history, particularly women’s labor.

Olga Soffer is survived by her daughter, Alex Beattie, and two grandchildren.