- The oldest shoe was a sandal woven from a fiber called esparto.
- It bears a striking similarity to the modern espadrille shoe.
Europe’s oldest shoes have been discovered remarkably well preserved after being deposited in a Spanish bat cave for more than 6,000 years.
A team of scientists analyzed prehistoric tennis shoes, which were found alongside finely woven baskets and wooden objects.
Together, the findings reveal the surprising skill and craftsmanship of our Neolithic ancestors, according to the researchers.
The earliest shoe was a sandal woven from a fiber called esparto that bears a striking similarity to modern espadrilles.
Dating from the Neolithic period, this shoe is even older than the 5,500-year-old leather shoe discovered in Armenia in 2008.
Europe’s oldest shoes have been discovered and remarkably well preserved after being deposited in a Spanish bat cave for more than 6,000 years.
The cave was first visited in 1831 by a farmer who collected nitrogen-rich guano (bat droppings) for use as fertilizer.
Carbon dating revealed that the collection of artifacts was approximately 2,000 years older than previously estimated.
Researchers found that some of the 76 objects were created 9,500 years ago, making it the first direct evidence of basketry among early hunter-gatherer societies.
Martínez Sevilla, a researcher from the University of Alcalá Francisco, said the discovery “opens a window of opportunity to understand the last hunter-gatherer societies of the early Holocene.”
Mr. Sevilla added that “the quality and technological complexity” of the discoveries “lead us to question the simplistic assumptions we had about human communities before the arrival of agriculture in southern Europe.”
The sandals and other items were recovered from the Cueva de los Murciélagos, a bat cave in which a burial chamber was discovered by miners in the 19th century.
According to researchers, the cave was first visited in 1831 by a farmer who was harvesting nitrogen-rich guano (bat droppings) to use as fertilizer.
However, after the discovery of a vein of minerals, the cave was exploited and a hidden gallery was revealed.
Miners looted the cave’s archaeological treasures, including several mummified corpses and the remains of 68 other individuals, most of which have never been found.
This discovery is particularly interesting to scientists because objects made from natural materials like wood and grass rarely survive this long.
The sandals and other items were recovered from the Cueva de los Murciélagos, a bat cave in which a burial chamber was discovered by miners in the 19th century.
Artist’s impression of the use of Mesolithic baskets by a group of hunter-gatherers in the Cueva de los Murciélagos de Albuñol
Due to the structure and location of the cave, scientists say a cool, dry wind passed through the cave, maintaining low humidity and preventing the spread of bacteria that could destroy these artifacts.
Previous finds of natural materials have been found either in waterlogged areas such as La Marmotta in Italy, or in areas where artifacts have been charred by exposure to high heat levels.
María Herrero Otal, co-author of the work and researcher at the Autonomous University of Barcelona, said the grass objects constituted “the oldest and best preserved set of plant fibrous materials known so far in southern Europe.
“The documented technological diversity and processing of raw materials demonstrate the capacity of prehistoric communities to master this type of craft, at least since 9,500 years ago, in the Mesolithic,” added Ms. Otal.
Other items found in the cave included an impressive set of woven baskets as well as simple wooden tools such as a mallet and a pointed stick.
Other items found in the cave included an impressive set of woven baskets as well as simple wooden tools such as a mallet and a pointed stick.
WHAT DO WE KNOW ABOUT THE HISTORY OF THE STONE AGE?
The Stone Age is a period of human prehistory characterized by the original development of stone tools that covers more than 95% of human technological prehistory.
It begins with the first known use of stone tools by hominids, ancient ancestors of humans, during the Stone Age, approximately 3.3 million years ago.
Around 400,000 to 200,000 years ago, the pace of innovation in stone technology began to accelerate ever so slightly, a period known as the Middle Stone Age.
At the beginning of this era, handaxes were made with exquisite craftsmanship. This eventually gave way to smaller, more diverse toolboxes, emphasizing flake tools rather than larger, basic tools.
The Stone Age is a period of human prehistory characterized by the original development of stone tools that covers more than 95% of human technological prehistory. This image shows Neolithic jadeite axes from the Toulouse Museum
These toolboxes were established at least 285,000 years ago in parts of Africa, and between 250,000 and 200,000 years ago in Europe and parts of western Asia. These toolboxes last until at least 50,000 to 28,000 years ago.
During the Late Stone Age, the pace of innovation accelerated and the level of know-how increased.
Groups of Homo sapiens experimented with various raw materials, including bone, ivory and antlers, as well as stone.
The period, between 50,000 and 39,000 years ago, is also associated with the advent of modern human behavior in Africa.
Different groups sought their own cultural identity and adopted their own ways of making things.
Later Stone Age peoples and their technologies spread out of Africa over the next thousands of years.
