Such an element of clothing that is familiar in the modern world, like shoes, people began to use back in the Upper Paleolithic. Recent studies by archaeologists and anthropologists have confirmed that the first semblance of shoes appeared about 30-50 thousand years ago. In this article, we will consider the evolution of this much-needed and practical element of clothing, and find out what shoes were worn at different periods in the history of mankind, from ancient times to the present day.
Ancient world
At the dawn of mankind
Standing out from the animal world, man began to adapt to the new conditions of his existence. To warm themselves during the cooling period, ancient people begin to use animal skins for warming. At this very moment, about 35 thousand years ago, a kind of shoe appears.
In the photo: The oldest shoes found. Cow leather moccasins.
The oldest shoes, as today, served for thermal and mechanical protection of the feet. Anthropologists, examining the remains of a person who lived during the Paleolithic period, noticed that at that time there was a change in the structure of the human foot. Scientists associated such deformations with the constant wearing of shoes.
In 2008, Armenian archaeologists during excavations in Armenia found soft shoes with pointed ends, which are 5.5 thousand years old. Today it is the oldest shoe discovered by archaeologists.
The find was preserved due to the special dry and cool climate inside the cave, where the find has lain for thousands of years.
Ancient Egypt shoes
In the photo: Ancient Egyptian sandals made of papyrus and palm leaves
The Egyptians used shoes to protect their feet from burns, moving on hot sand. Enough information has been preserved, and we know that the Egyptians wore sandals made of papyrus and palm leaves.
In the picture: some types of shoes common in ancient Egypt
In shape, they resembled a stirrup, where the sole, bent in front, was attached to the foot with leather straps. The shoes of the pharaohs, priests, noble people of Egypt were decorated with drawings, as well as precious stones.
Pictured: Egyptian shoes made from reed
In addition to sandals, shoes were also used in which the toe was closed, but the heel was missing. Interestingly, in the temples and palaces where the pharaoh lived, they walked barefoot.
Ancient China
In ancient China, the appearance of traditional national shoes was preceded by the tradition of bandaging the legs of women. From childhood, the girls were formed a foot, bandaging the leg in a special way that it turned out very small. Even the husband could not see the naked female leg.
In the photo: Lotus shoes
At night, the girls put on special sleeping shoes, and during the day they put on closed shoes on a small platform with a heel. It is with these women's "lotus shoes" that the history of shoe production in China begins.
Among men, ordinary sandals were popular, and sometimes a wooden sole was placed on the foot, tying it to the foot with ropes. Later, closed boots with a low shafting began to enter into fashion, but only the Chinese could afford such luxury.
Near East
Residents of Mesopotamia, both women and men, preferred to walk on the sand in comfortable sandals. Assyria has become the birthplace of marsh high boots, which are now widely used by hunters and fishermen.
In Babylon, shoes of any type were decorated with precious stones, stitched with gold thread, so that luxurious shoes come from precisely these places. It is noteworthy, but the shoes of the soldiers who served in the army of Ancient Babylon were also richly decorated.
But in Israel, more attention was paid to practicality, and, as researchers of the past note, it was quite high quality. It is interesting that different materials were used for its manufacture: from traditional leather to reed and wood, but in individual samples of shoes, a bottle of incense was put in the heel of shoes. Thanks to the ancient Israelites, the world learned about the variety of forms and models.
Period of antiquity
Ancient Greece
The footwear of the ancient Greeks and Romans is notable for its diversity not only in form, but also in its intended purpose. According to images found in ancient Greek temples and descriptions of contemporaries, scientists have found that in ancient Greece, peculiar sandals were popular - “crepe”, held on the leg with lacing to the knees (but not always).
The Greek women also wore high boots, in which a boot was sewn to the sole, and the toes were open. They were kept on the leg with lacing, and such boots were called “endromids”. Unlike crepe, in the endromids, the back of the heels was completely closed. Actors wore shoes on a high platform - “katurni”.
Interestingly, the inscription “Follow me!” Was made on the sole of the sandals of the getters. Such a kind of prototype of advertising. Long boots-stockings - “peaches” were also popular among getters.
Ancient Rome
In the photo: shoes of Ancient Rome over 2.5 thousand years old.
In Rome, the social status of a person could be recognized by shoes. Men and women wore different shoes. On holidays they wore red shoes, richly decorated with paintings and jewelry.
Among the inhabitants of Rome, the most common were solea sandals, held on toes with straps. The poor used only one strap, but there were four rich patricians. The plebeians also wore closed shoes, which were tied on the toe with ordinary straps.
Legionnaires began to wear wooden sandals, called "caligae", many centuries before our era, where the sole was nailed. But the actors wore only slippers on the ropes, called "socci".
Scythians
Archaeological research of the Scythian mounds, as well as many images of the steppes on jewelry made it possible to reconstruct the clothes of this warlike nomadic people.
The Scythians, first of all, exceeded the criteria of practicality, and wore high soft boots. In them it was convenient to move on the ground, as well as on horseback, inserting a foot in stirrups. It was because of this that the sole was embroidered with beads; intricate drawings were applied to it.
Women wore red boots, the top of which was decorated with leather appliqué or embroidered with beads with red thread. Scythian felt shoes reminiscent of modern high fur boots of Siberian peoples.
Middle Ages
Western Europe
In the photo: Medieval bullets, XV century
Medieval Europe abandoned sandals, and people everywhere began to wear shoes with incredibly long socks, bent up. Such bullet shoes in the XIV century were obligatory to wear by noble people on the orders of King Philip IV.
A century later, the size of the shoes indicated the nobility of their owners, and nobles bought shoes much larger than the size of their feet. Over time, blunt models also came into fashion, but the backs narrowed, and they had to be tied up in the lifting area.
For a long time, only men flaunted shoes, since the length of the women's dress hid their shoes. But fashion was changing, and in the 17th century, ladies already flaunted their velvet slippers embroidered with jewels. Sewing has also changed, in which they began to use different materials, and not just leather.
Ancient Russia
Even before the advent of statehood, the Slavs began to wear soft shoes, which were made from a single piece of leather, and they were called “pistons”. But, and the most common shoes, of course, were bast shoes. They were made and worn both in the city and in the countryside.
In the photo: A fragment of leather shoes found on the site of Ancient Novgorod.
Over time, boots became popular in Russia, mainly due to the raids of the steppe nomads. Tatar shoes of nomads began to be used with traditional Slavic shoes. Entire tanneries appeared that prepared material for the production of boots.
Festive, morocco boots were made of colored leather, which was dyed during dressing. The bootleg was slanted obliquely, so the front was higher than the back.
Wooden shoes
In the XV-XVII centuries in Holland and in the north of France, a kind of wooden shoe was widely used. They were of practical importance in wetlands, as they did not let their feet get wet. They fastened to the leg with an iron hoop, and they called them “logs”.
At the end of the 16th century, a whole guild of shoemakers appeared who specialized in the production of wooden shoes. They were made of wood that did not crack. Willow, poplar, and maple were well suited.
Clomps are currently made as souvenirs.
From mainland Europe, wooden shoes fell into England. Mostly they were worn by peasants, but on holidays they exchanged wooden shoes for leather boots and shoes.
New time
In the XVIII century, the so-called ball shoes, light women's shoes with a small heel, as well as men's shoes with a small lacing, came into fashion. Such shoes, mostly for women, were luxuriously decorated with bows, jewelry, garters.
On the photo: shoes of the late 18th century, England
But the Age of Enlightenment was marked by the fact that instead of impractical fabric shoes, comfortable leather shoes with a small heel come into fashion. Both men and women wore such shoes with pleasure.
If we talk about the evolution of production, the manufactories of shoemakers were gradually transformed into large factories for the mass production of everyday shoes.
In the photo: French mules with high heels late XVII - early XVIII century
Start of shoe production
As soon as velvet slippers of the romantic Renaissance period were replaced by leather boots and boots, the mass development of the shoe industry began around the world.
The XIX century was a turning point in the history of the development of footwear. There is a mechanization of its production, a clear division into right and left. By the beginning of the twentieth century, shoe production in factories reached 500 pairs for each employee of the enterprise.
At the end of the XIX century, they also thought about health, and began to produce shoes taking into account the anatomical bends of the foot.
Fashion trends of the twentieth century
The greatest changes in the age of speeds have occurred with women's shoes. Skirts were shortened, and therefore the need for elegant women's shoes was ripened. Coarse shoes are replaced by light shoes and boots.
In the photo: Salvatore Ferragamo - Italian inventor of shoe pins. 1950
Gorgeous women's sandals have returned from the past. In the 50s, a stiletto heel appeared, and in the 70s platform shoes and boots became fashionable. Designers specializing in the development of fashionable shoes appear.
In the photo: Fashion Collection by Valentino, 1973
As for men, practical shoes, boots and boots came into fashion. The shape of the fixation of shoes on the foot is also changing. Along with traditional laces, fasteners, hooks, and buttons began to be used. Sports shoes became widespread, which they began to wear in everyday life.
Modern shoes
The world is constantly evolving, which naturally affected shoe production. There is a continuous improvement not only of its production, but also of models, styles, insoles and pads.
The concept of exclusive shoes appears, which is made only to order. Fashion designers are increasingly turning to the traditions of the past, using the designs of Antiquity and the Middle Ages in their models.
A large variety has appeared in the field of sales. Now, in order to purchase shoes, boots, sneakers or boots, you do not need to go to the shoe store, but you can simply order the model you need in online stores. But remember that shoes need fitting, because wearing tight shoes, you see, is not very comfortable.
As you can see, shoes in its evolutionary development have come a long and difficult path. The shape and styles changed, new models appeared. Some species have remained in the distant past, and many, being transformed, are used now.
Like many centuries ago, practical sandals are still in fashion, fashionistas all over the world prefer shoes or boots on a high platform with all kinds of decorations, and felt shoes warms in severe frosts.
Antique shoes are widely represented in the expositions of historical museums, and in the modern world there are more and more societies that are engaged in the reconstruction of antiquity, including sewing shoes.
Article author: Valery Skiba