In 2023, Europe’s oldest pair of shoes believed to be around 6,000 years old, was discovered in a bat cave in Spain. According to a study published in the journal ‘Science Advances’, the sandals, woven from grass, were found alongside other ancient objects in the Cave of the Bats in Andalusia. Scientists from the Autonomous University of Barcelona and Alcala University in Spain analysed the artifacts, which also include baskets and sets of tools.
The study mentioned, “This assemblage represents one of the oldest and best-preserved collections of hunter-gatherer basketry in southern Europe. The sandals, baskets, and wooden artifacts with Neolithic chronologies constitute a unique sample of organic artifacts absent in other archaeological sites of early farmer communities.”
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