- The oldest shoe was a sandal woven from a fiber called esparto grass
- It bears a striking resemblance to the modern espadrille shoe.
Europe’s oldest shoes have been remarkably well preserved after being stored in a Spanish bat cave for more than 6,000 years.
A team of scientists analyzed the prehistoric sneakers, which were found next to intricately woven baskets and wooden artifacts.
Together, the finds reveal the surprising skill and craftsmanship of our Neolithic ancestors, the researchers said.
The oldest shoe was a sandal woven from a fiber called esparto grass, which bears a striking resemblance to the modern espadrille shoe.
The shoe dates from the Neolithic period, making it even older than the 5,500-year-old leather shoe discovered in Armenia in 2008.
Europe’s oldest shoes have been remarkably well preserved after being buried in a Spanish bat cave for more than 6,000 years
The cave was first entered in 1831 by a farmer who collected the nitrogen-rich guano (bat feces) to use as fertilizer
Carbon dating showed that the collection of artifacts was about 2,000 years older than previously estimated.
Researchers found that some of the 76 objects were made up to 9,500 years ago, making this the first direct evidence of basket making among early hunter-gatherer societies.
Martínez Sevilla, a researcher from the University of Alcalá Francisco, said this discovery “opens an opportunity to understand the last hunter-gatherer societies of the early Holocene.”
Mr Sevilla added that the “quality and technological complexity” of the finds “makes us question the simplistic assumptions we had about human communities before the advent of agriculture in southern Europe.”
The sandals and other artifacts 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 the researchers, the cave was first entered in 1831 by a farmer who collected the nitrogen-rich guano (bat feces) to use as fertilizer.
However, following the discovery of a vein of minerals, the cave was excavated 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 recovered.
This discovery is particularly exciting for scientists because artifacts made from natural materials such as wood and grass rarely survive that long.
The sandals and other artifacts were recovered from the Cueva de los Murciélagos, a bat cave in which a burial chamber was discovered by miners in the 19th century
An 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 cave’s structure and location, the scientists say a cool, dry wind blew through the cave, keeping humidity low and preventing the spread of bacteria that could destroy these artifacts.
Previous discoveries of natural material have been found in swampy areas such as La Marmotta in Italy or in areas where the artefacts have been charred by exposure to high levels of heat.
María Herrero Otal, co-author of the work and researcher at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, said the grass objects were “the oldest and best preserved set of plant fiber materials in southern Europe to date.”
“The technological diversity and documented treatment of the raw materials demonstrate the ability of prehistoric communities to master this type of craftsmanship at least since 9,500 years ago, in the Mesolithic period,” Ms Otal added.
Other items found in the cave included an impressive set of woven baskets and simple wooden tools such as a hammer and a pointed stick.
Other items found in the cave included an impressive set of woven baskets and simple wooden tools such as a hammer and a pointed stick.