The Ur-Sneaker: 5500-Year-Old Shoe Found in Armenian Cave

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By Joseph Calamia
Jun 10, 2010 8:25 PMNov 20, 2019 2:31 AM
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Three jaw-less heads and one really old shoe. These aren't the clues in a Law and Order episode; they're findings from a limestone cave in Armenia. As described in a paper published yesterday in PLoS ONE, archaeologists believe they have found the world's oldest leather shoe: it's 5,500 years old. "It's pretty weird," said lead author Ron Pinhasi to CNN regarding the disembodied heads and the placement of the well-preserved shoe. The ancient sneaker was stuffed with grass, though archaeologists can't say whether the grass was intended as insulation or whether it helped maintain the shoe's shape.

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