What could be Europe’s oldest pair of shoes was unearthed in a cave in Spain and is now estimated to be much older than scientists previously believed.
According to a new study, about 20 pairs of sandals are at least 6,200 years old (and possibly older) and other woven artifacts in the cave are 9,500 years old.
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- What is the mystery behind prehistoric footwear?
- Where was prehistoric footwear found?
- When and how was the discovery made?
What is the mystery behind prehistoric footwear?
During the 19th century, the artifacts were discovered during mining work in the Cueva de los Murciélagos, literally called “bat cave”, at Albuol in Granada, Spain.
However, researchers discovered that the discovered materials were around 2,000 years older than previously thought.
Credit: CNN
According to the researchers, the low humidity and cold, dry breeze inside the cave prevented the growth of bacteria, allowing the fiber-based devices to survive millennia.
Researchers discovered two types of footwear at the site, one with a continuous woven sole and the other with a stronger “central core.” While no laces were identified with the first type, “a small group of fibers emanating from the base of the sole may have been placed between the first and second toe with the central core type.” These fibers are also attached to a braid attached to the center of the sandal that can be tied around the ankle.”
Where was prehistoric footwear found?
Researchers say grass sandals discovered in a cave in Spain are 6,200 years old, making them the oldest woven grass footwear ever discovered in Europe and pushing them to reconsider “simplistic assumptions” about our human ancestors in the region.
The report came from a team that investigated 76 artifacts discovered in a cave in southern Spain many years ago.
Credit: SWNS
According to scientists, sandals discovered in a bat cave in southern Spain may be the oldest footwear ever discovered in Europe, and they believe they could be up to 6,200 years old.
According to researchers from the University of Alcalá and the Autonomous University of Barcelona, the artifacts are the first direct evidence of basketry among hunter-gatherer societies and early agricultural communities in southern Europe.
Among the finds were baskets, sandals and organic tools made from reed and esparto grass.
The researchers were able to date the artifacts to the early and middle Holocene periods, between 9,500 and 6,200 years ago, by analyzing the basic elements with which they were built.
When and how was the discovery made?
Credit: SWNS
The researchers used radiocarbon dating of 76 artifacts, including baskets and 22 sandals made of esparto grass, a type of grass used in crafts for thousands of years throughout the Iberian Peninsula and North Africa.
The grass was ground into cords, which were then used to braid baskets, purses, and sandals. In order for the grass to bend, it had to be dried for 20 to 30 days before being rehydrated for 24 hours, a sophisticated and skillful procedure.
The sandals do not have laces, but some feature a single braid in the middle that can be tied around the wearer’s ankle. Later centuries of European history discovered similar sandals made from materials other than grass.
According to the investigation, while some sandals showed signs of wear, others were unworn and could have been built for the dead.
The cave once housed funerary objects from vast early human history, possibly dating back 9,500 years.
Credit: SWNS
A team of 20 professionals from various disciplines, including geologists and historians, worked on the ongoing study.
The lack of humidity in the cave and the constant freezing breeze resulted in the best preserved plant tools found in southern Europe. The same conditions have led to many important archaeological finds in the Middle East, especially in caves near the Dead Sea.
The Bat Cave treasures were discovered in the 19th century, but this is the first study to fully shed light on their antiquity and significance.
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Source: vtt.edu.vn