Scientists have unearthed numerous ancient shoes around the world, including sandals, moccasins, and woven footwear. But pinpointing when humans first invented shoes is a tricky task. The materials used to make shoes—animal skins, plant fibers, and other organic substances—tend to decompose over time. The oldest directly dated shoes are a pair of sandals from central Oregon, dating back an impressive 10,400 years. These sandals, woven from sagebrush bark and other fibers, were discovered in Fort Rock Cave during archaeological excavations that began in 1938. This type of footwear has been found at multiple sites in the arid Great Basin region of the United States. According to Dr. Connolly, archaeological research director at the University of Oregon’s Museum of Natural and Cultural History, these sandals were intricately crafted with flat soles and foot covers. Interviews with Native groups in the Oregon area, such as the Klamath and Northern Paiute peoples, revealed that woven footwear was traditionally used during winter for activities in cold marshes and lakes. These porous sandals, despite their openness, would have retained body heat, keeping feet warm even when wet. Connolly cited a quote from ethnographer Samuel Barrett, who was told by his Klamath informants that woven shoes allowed them to walk comfortably through frigid marshes in the dead of winter. While the Fort Rock Cave sandals hold the record for oldest directly dated footwear, another discovery suggests even earlier use of shoes. A 10,600-year-old mummy found in Nevada, known as the Spirit Cave mummy, appears to be wearing hide moccasins. However, the age of the footwear has not been directly measured. But the possibility of even earlier footwear extends far beyond 10,000 years. In South Africa, fossil tracks on a beach suggest the presence of shoe prints dating back a staggering 150,000 years. This intriguing discovery was made by Dr. Helm, a research associate at Nelson Mandela University in South Africa, and his colleagues. When they analyzed the fossil tracks, they noticed a striking resemblance to human footprints, except for the absence of toe impressions. This lack of toe marks led them to believe that the footprints were made by individuals wearing shoes. Dr. Helm, in his statement to Live Science, expressed the wonder of imagining our ancestors developing and wearing shoes so long ago. The need for protection from injuries and extreme temperatures likely drove the creation of footwear then, just as it does today. The researchers, unable to find direct fossil traces of the shoes themselves, attributed the lack of evidence to the decomposition of the organic materials used in ancient footwear. They decided to look for other clues. In their 2023 study, the researchers examined sandals used by the modern Indigenous San people of the Kalahari Desert, seeking insights into what ancient footwear might have looked like. They also analyzed 2,000-year-old San rock art depicting a shaman wearing shoes. The team crafted various shoe designs and created trackways on the sands of South Africa’s south coast. They concluded that an open, hard-sole design, tested on moist, moderately soft sand, best matched the fossil tracks. While the potential shoe prints from South Africa offer a fascinating glimpse into the distant past, Dr. Connolly, despite acknowledging the intriguing possibility, expressed caution. He noted that 150,000 years is an incredibly long time, and more research is needed to confirm the findings. Despite the uncertainty surrounding the South African tracks, the discovery of the 10,400-year-old sandals and the potential 150,000-year-old footprints paint a compelling picture of humans’ early ingenuity and their need for protection and comfort.
The Ancient History of Shoes: From 10,000-Year-Old Sandals to Potential 150,000-Year-Old Footprints
