Stepping Back in Time: Unearthing the World's Oldest Shoe, a Remarkable Relic of Ancient Footwear
World's oldest leather shoes found in Armenia
The world's oldest leather shoe, dating back 5,500 years, was discovered in a cave in Armenia. This discovery by international archaeologists shows that a shoe older than Stonehenge and the Pyramids of Giza was found in perfect condition.
The 24.5-centimetre-long shoe was made from a single piece of cowhide and styled with intricate laces. The shoe dates back to the 4th century BC, known as the Chalcolithic period or the Copper Age. It goes up to around 3,500. It is thought that the wheel was invented, horses were domesticated, and other innovations were made during this period.
The shoe was found in a cave in 2008 by Diana Zardarian, a doctoral student at the Institute of Archeology and Ethnography of the National Academy of Sciences of Armenia. The inside of the shoe was filled with grass and perfectly preserved under layers of sheep dung.
The discovery was confirmed by testing at radiocarbon laboratories in California and Oxford to determine the age of the shoe.
This shoe discovery shows it to be about 2,500 years older than the cave where a pair of fiber sandals, known as the world's oldest shoes, were found. The shoes show that the stable, cool and dry conditions in the Armenian cave helped to protect the objects well.
In addition to various objects, ceramic vessels containing edible plants such as wheat, barley and apricot were found in the cave where the discovery was made. Three adolescent skulls and possibly vessels used for wine distillation were also unearthed.
Experts state that this discovery makes a great contribution to the understanding of the history and culture in the region, emphasizing the importance of research conducted in Armenia.