Posted on 05/10/2005 1:28:24 PM PDT by blam
Archaeologists find 'Britain's oldest shoe'
James Sturcke and agencies
Tuesday May 10, 2005
A 2,000-year-old shoe uncovered at a Somerset quarry. Photograph: Exeter Archaeology/PA
Archaeologists excavating a quarry in Somerset claim to have found Britain's oldest shoe, believed to be 2,000 years old. They said the shoe, which was found at Whitehall Quarry, near Wellington, was the equivalent to a modern size 9 or 10, and was so well preserved that the stitching and lace holes were visible in the leather.
It was taken to a specialist conservation centre in Salisbury, Wiltshire, and was expected to go on display at the Royal Albert Memorial Museum in Exeter.
A team from Exeter Archaeology, led by Stephen Reed, came across the shoe while excavating close to a Saxon iron smelting site that was discovered in 1989. They found a Bronze Age "industrial" site consisting of two mounds and two water-filled troughs. Nearby were two timber-built wells, preserved by waterlogging and probably dating from the early part of the Iron Age (700 BC - AD 43). One of these wells had been constructed over a spring using a hollowed tree trunk set into the ground.
"As far as we know, this is the oldest shoe ever found in the UK," Mr Reed said. "These finds are of national importance due to the rarity of the survival of wood from this period and the presence of diagnostic tool marks on the sides of the timber, which suggest it dates from the Iron Age. It is reasonably well-preserved, with stitch and lace holes still visible in the leather."
The shoe measured approximately 30cm, suggesting its owner was male, archaeologists said.
There is uncertainty over why the shoe was in the well. It may have been left for symbolic reasons when the site was closed or simply lost in the mud within the spring. It was hoped that analysis of the shoe would reveal how it was made and the type of leather.
GGG Ping.
Archaeologists Find 'Britain's Oldest Shoe'
.......made in Japan.....
We've come a long way BUMP.
Old Mother Hubbard has squatter's rights to it!
Cool!
Was Jimmy Hoffa in it?
Whatever *happened* to that guy, anyway?
People strapped bark to their feet?
I wonder how long it will take to drop the other shoe!
You should see the OTHER shoe!
On tour with Todd Rundgren, venues look to be one step above the Wampum and Firewater Casino circuit.
It works for the North Koreans.
------2000 year old man
It was found right next to the world's smelliest foot.
This was already proven to be a hoax the shoe was actually found at a Phish concert.
And did those feet in ancient time,
Walk upon england’s mountains green?
And the worlds oldest piece of toilet paper was attached to it.
A shoe in the well. Where's the rest of Timmy?
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