Old brown shoe
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Leather shoe. Photo: PLoS journal
Today’s Geo Quiz has to do with that old brown shoe you’ve probably heard about. It’s a size-seven laceup… made from cowhide. And scientists say it’s the oldest leather shoe ever discovered.
Here’s one of the archaeologists who found the shoe — at a cave in Eurasia.
“The shoe was discovered in front of the cave and in the rock shelter there are remains of ancient habitation.”
How ancient? The shoe is older than Egypt’s Great Pyramid of Giza. We want you to tell us where the shoe was discovered.
It’s a mountainous, landlocked country located where Western Asia meets Eastern Europe.
Whoever wore that shoe may have walked along the Arpa River in search of obsidian. That’s the flint-like rock used to make spear heads and arrow points. We’ll point you to the answer here…
Geo Answer:
Back to that ancient shoe we asked you about. It’s 5,500 years old. Archaeologists discovered it at a cave in Armenia.
Map of location. Illustration PLoS journal
So Armenia is the answer to our Geo Quiz. The World’s David Leveille tells us more about the place and time the shoe comes from.
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- First Direct Evidence of Chalcolithic Footwear from the Near Eastern Highlands (abstract)
- First Direct Evidence of Chalcolithic Footwear from the Near Eastern Highlands (pdf)
Trench highlighting Pit 3, where shoe was found. Photo: PLoS journal
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