It's shoe time! Old treasure unearthed
Source: Agencies |
June 11, 2010, Friday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
THE world's oldest leather shoe, 1,000 years older than the Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt and 400 years older than Stonehenge in Britain, has been found perfectly preserved in a cave in Armenia.
The 5,500-year-old shoe was discovered by a team of international archeologists, who reported details of their finding on Wednesday. It is made of a piece of cowhide, had laces, and was shaped to fit the wearer's foot.
It is 24.5 centimeters long, 7.6cm to 10cm wide, and dates to about 3,500BC, the Chalcolithic period.
"It is not known whether the shoe belonged to a man or woman," said Ron Pinhasi, of University College Cork in Ireland, who led the research team.
It was small, matching a modern-day European size 37 or United States size 7, but "could well have fitted a man from that era."
The cave is in the Vayotz Dzor province of Armenia, on the Armenian-Iranian-Turkish borders.
Pinhasi said the stable, cool and dry conditions in the cave meant objects found there were very well preserved.
The 5,500-year-old shoe was discovered by a team of international archeologists, who reported details of their finding on Wednesday. It is made of a piece of cowhide, had laces, and was shaped to fit the wearer's foot.
It is 24.5 centimeters long, 7.6cm to 10cm wide, and dates to about 3,500BC, the Chalcolithic period.
"It is not known whether the shoe belonged to a man or woman," said Ron Pinhasi, of University College Cork in Ireland, who led the research team.
It was small, matching a modern-day European size 37 or United States size 7, but "could well have fitted a man from that era."
The cave is in the Vayotz Dzor province of Armenia, on the Armenian-Iranian-Turkish borders.
Pinhasi said the stable, cool and dry conditions in the cave meant objects found there were very well preserved.
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