Already 148 thousand years ago, the ancestors of modern humans wore sandals
Ancient traces found by archaeologists indicate that prehistoric people wore shoes 148 thousand years ago. A new analysis of ancient footprints in South Africa suggests that the people who left these footprints may have worn hard-soled sandals.
Ichnological (ichnology is a branch of paleontology that studies traces of movement and activity of extinct organisms) data from three paleontological surfaces on Cape Coast in South Africa, combined with neo-ichnological studies, suggest that prehistoric people may indeed have worn shoes while crossing the dunes in the Middle Stone Age .
As reported by Arkeonews, the study was published in the journal Ichnos.
While researchers are reluctant to draw any firm conclusions regarding shoe use in the distant past, the unusual characteristics of these prints may serve as the oldest evidence that people used shoes to protect their feet from sharp stones in the Middle Stone Age.
The well-preserved footprints, found on stone slabs at three different locations along the Cape coast, have not been directly dated, the study authors said. However, researchers hypothesize that the tracks found at the site known as Kleinkranz may be between 79,000 and 148,000 years old, based on the age of other nearby rocks and sediments.
The footprints do not show toes, which can be distinguished from bare foot prints, but instead show «rounded front ends, sharp edges, and possible belt attachment marks.» Similar marks are estimated to have been left between 73,000 and 136,000 years ago, were discovered at a site called Gukamma.
The study authors wrote: “In all cases, the suspected tracks have dimensions that are broadly consistent with those of hominin tracks.” They added that «the size of the tracks appears to be consistent with those of either juvenile track makers or small adult hominin track makers.»
To test this conclusion, the researchers left their own footprints in sandals resembling two different pairs of shoes historically used by the indigenous San people of southern Africa, both of which are now housed in museums. Experiments have shown that when using shoes with hard soles, wet sand leaves prints with clear edges, without toe marks and indentations where the leather straps come into contact with the sole.
«Although we do not consider this evidence conclusive, we interpret these three sites […] as suggesting the presence of shod hominids using hard-soled sandals,» the researchers write. Proposing a possible motive for the use of such footwear, they note that foraging on the coast involves climbing over sharp rocks, as well as the risk of stepping on sea urchins.
“In the Middle Stone Age, a significant laceration on the leg may have been death sentence,” scientists say. In this case, sandals would be a lifesaver.
Despite their promising results, the researchers are reluctant to make any bold claims. This is due to a number of factors, such as the difficulty of interpreting rock art, as well as the fact that actual Middle Stone Age shoes have never been found. Thus, they refrain from making serious claims about their findings, but suggest that «people may have actually worn shoes while crossing dunes in the Middle Stone Age.»