As you strap on your pair of shoes and get ready to go for the day, a thought pops into your head. Where did shoes come from? How long have humans been wearing shoes and how did we get to the point where we’re at today?
The first recorded instance of shoes that humans wore was between 1800 and 1100 BC and was well over 40,000 years ago. These early shoes featured leather hides. Shoes may have existed even earlier still but would have used perishable materials of which there’s no record of today.
Strap in and sit back as we take you through the history of footwear as we know it, from those early days to modern shoes today. It’s a fascinating ride, and we hope you enjoy it!
The History of Humans Wearing Shoes
The Earliest Days – Pre-7000 BC
Could humans have worn shoes more than 40,000 years ago? Experts believe that yes, it’s possible, and more so than that, that it’s quite likely.
How long ago humans would have worn shoes is up for debate and is difficult to answer.
The reason is that these shoes would have been made with such perishable materials (as mentioned in the intro), that there would be little to no evidence of them having existed.
What’s far clearer, according to this 2008 report in the Journal of Archaeological Science, is that at least 40,000 years ago but possibly as recently as 26,000 years ago, the small toe bones in feet began to thin.
It’s believed by archaeologists that when humans began wearing shoes, their toes naturally became thinner and shorter.
Fortunately, we do have some records of shoes around this time and earlier.
In 2008 in Armenia, a shoe that’s believed to be among the oldest in existence was located. The shoe was leather, cowhide specifically, and featured a leather cord near the seams that went from the back to the front.
If the archaeological records are correct, that shoe might be from 3500 BC, which gives us a clearer picture of how far back human footwear goes.
Actually, it could go back further still.
Otzi the Iceman is a mummy believed to have lived around 3350 or 3150 BC that was uncovered in 1991. His shoes are dated to 3300 BC.
They too were made of leather, including deerskin on the sides and bearskin on the bases. There was also a net made of bark string that would have kept the shoes firmly on the foot.
There’s even more historical data still. In 2006, in the Jotunheimen Mountains in Norway was found a shoe appropriately called the Jotunheimen shoe. It’s believed that this leather shoe is from around 1800 to 1100 BC.
Early Days – 7000 to 8000 BC
In 1938, records of shoes from around 7000 or 8000 BC were located in Oregon in Fort Rock Cave.
Who could have worn these shoes? Historians estimate that North American natives did, and that moccasins evolved from these early shoes, which were more bag-like than they were structured.
Moccasins weren’t worn throughout the year, such as in the warmer weather, as they would have been too warm. The shoes weren’t waterproof either, so they couldn’t be worn during any activities where natives would get wet or in wet weather.
Early Days – 4000 BC to 4 BC
By 4000 BC, shoes were stripped down from the moccasin design and the earliest flip-flops as we know them today were originated.
Ancient Egyptians are believed to have innovated early flip-flops or were at least shown wearing them in murals from 4000 BC. The shoes at the time were known as Thebet, likely named after Thebes, an Egyptian city.
In Egyptian history, it’s still hotly debated whether the shoes are from the Early Dynastic Period or the Middle Kingdom.
Fortunately, there are some records of these early flip-flops, including a pair that might be around 1,500 years old.
The shoes featured papyrus construction, which is a curious choice for footwear today but made all the sense in the world back then.
That said, Egyptians didn’t always wear shoes. Since flip-flops are such barely-there footwear anyway, it wasn’t uncommon for Egyptians to be barefoot. Many preferred it.
So too was that the preference among the Greeks and Hindus.
That said, the Hindus did have their own take on the sandal, but it had no sole. It was for decoration only.
Greeks didn’t like shoes much either, perceiving them as an indulgence, and a selfish one at that. They also thought that shoes were rather ugly. You’d only see people wearing shoes when performing in Greek theater.
When Greeks held their Ancient Olympic Games, participants would do their thing sans shoes and often sans clothes as well.
The Romans disagreed with the Greeks’ stance on shoes. They understood the value of shoes, and only paupers and slaves didn’t wear them.
Roman footwear featured a different shoe for each foot. Soldiers also wore different shoes still with insoles that featured riveting to keep the leather intact for longer.
The shoes were also designed for traction, which might have been the first time that was taken into consideration.
Shoe style denoted a Roman soldier’s rank, as did shoe height. The taller one’s shoes, the higher their ranking.
It wasn’t until 4 BC that Greeks got on the shoe train. Like the Romans, they began sporting shoes as status symbols. Shoes in a light color denoted wealth, white shoes were for newlywed women, and yellow, green, or dyed shoes were for courtesans.
This time was also important for a different reason, as shoemakers and cobblers became employed all throughout Greece.
Middle Ages
Do you like espadrille shoes, especially in the spring and summertime?
Early espadrilles had ankle fabric laces, fabric around the upper half of the shoe, and soles made of braided jute. Those who lived in the mountain region known as the Pyrenees would wear this sandal.
If it seems strange for the espadrille to come from a mountain region, that’s not where the shoe was created, only popularized. Rather, those in Catalonia in Spain created the first espadrille, despite that the name is French.
Espadrilles were invented in the 13th century but took off around AD 960 in China during the Song Dynasty. Now espadrilles had foot straps.
First limited to only noble classes, espadrilles were a poorly-kept secret and soon, everyone wanted to wear them. Well, that is, until the Mongols took over China. By 1279, the days of the espadrille were over.
At least officially, but the Han people didn’t listen and the Mongol government didn’t do much to stop them in this regard.
By medieval times, shoes got more interesting still. There weren’t any more inventive takes on the espadrille, just lengthening shoes in general to several feet per shoe. To make the shoes wearable, they’d be filled with grass, moss, wool, or even hair.
The style of shoemaking is known as the turn shoe since the upper was inside out and then attached to the sole with the grain-side out. Drawstrings allowed for a customized fit.
By 1500, the turnshoe method was out and the welted rand method was in. This method entailed sewing the uppers to a firm sole without the ability to turn the shoe inside out. This might sound familiar to you because it’s still the basic shoe design today.
Into the 15th century, heeled pattens were the new shoe and are probably how we have high heels now. Throughout Europe, anyone with money and class wore pattens, including men.
Although it’s not clear, it’s believed that pattens are a Polish invention.
In Turkey, platform shoes known as chopines began popping up on women’s feet. That’s right, unlike pattens, chopines are for the ladies only. These ultra-high shoes became trendy in Europe as another means of denoting one’s status.
If you’ve ever heard the term “well-heeled” being used to talk about someone with money, now you understand why!
Industrial Era
Into the 18th century, shoemaking continued, and now there were warehouses to do it, sort of like how shoes are manufactured today.
The difference is that shoes were still produced by hand. That stopped around the 19th century, when then-modern machinery allowed people to use their hands less to produce shoes.
This meant more uniformity from shoe to shoe and no more of those unique, individualized design flourishes that made shoes of the earlier days so much more personalized and fun. That said, more shoes could be made at once, and so it became the way things were done.
Today
That brings us to where shoes are today.
We live in an age where you can buy shoes of any style, platform height, and material. We don’t have cobblers or shoemakers so much anymore, as producing shoes is still a big warehouse business as it was through the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries.
Rather than own one or two pairs of shoes, people usually own a handful, including different types of shoes such as athletic shoes, formal shoes, summer shoes, and winter shoes.
While shoes are still mass-produced, you have more options for personalization than ever. You can select colors, patterns, and sometimes get your name monogrammed on a shoe or add your own charm.
Shoes are still a status symbol, especially when it comes to brands like Nike or Christian Louboutin. That said, shoes are available at so many price points that regardless of one’s economic situation, shoes are affordable for all.
There’s no need to go barefoot, yet some people still choose to. Others wear barefoot shoes, which mimic the groundfeel and other sensations of shoeless walking but offer exceptional foot protection.
Conclusion
Humans began wearing shoes at least 40,000 years ago but likely well before that. Shoes have always been about foot protection but have since evolved to reflect one’s personal style and reflect one’s status.
We hope you enjoyed learning about the history of footwear!