While when human ancestors started wearing footwear is a looming question, the answer does not lie in physical shoe evidence, as the perishable materials would no longer be there.
Ancient Footwear
However, this could be examined through ichnology, which is the scientific study of fossil traces and tracks. More specifically, it can be done looking for clear evidence of footprints made by humans who wore foot coverings. While this may sound opportunistic, it has been seen to be quite a difficult endeavor.
In the past 15 years, over 350 vertebrate track sites have been pinpointed on the Cape coast. These include several tracks that humans made as they jogged and walked barefoot, which was seen through the toe impressions.
The researchers also noticed other similar trackways that did not have any toe impressions. Upon realizing the minimal research surrounding the issue, they decided to delve deeper.
They looked into relevant research from different areas across the globe and made use of knowledge regarding human technological development milestones. They also took into account the specific areas where tracks of hominins have been previously reported.
Generally, these shed light on two prime areas on earth for finding evidence of footprints from hominins with foot coverings. The areas were South Africa's cape coast and western Europe.
The researchers proceed to create certain footwear types that could have been worn. Since most of the sites were around 70,000 to 150,000 years old, they focused specifically on this period. They made various footwear types and used their inventions to make trackways on the dunes and beaches on Cape south coast. They then performed analyses on the prints.
The findings suggest that there were three track sites within the Cape south coast that shod humans, or ones who wore foot coverings, could have made. These appeared to have hominin origins and to have crisp outlines. Interestingly, the areas did not display any toe impression evidence, which is supposedly crucial for identifying hominin tracks.
The experiments also revealed that a hard-sole and open design, with foot tracks made on moderately soft and moist but cohesive sand had the best match for the three track sites.
While the evidence is not definitive or conclusive, the researchers are still excited about the discoveries.
The specialists also support the claim that south Africa was a region where the practical and cognitive abilities of humans developed very long ago.
At present, the ancient dune surfaces that were once traversed by human ancestors are cemented and kept as aeolianites.
Why Did Ancient Humans Make Footwear?
The reason behind the novel construction of footwear could be quite intriguing, given how these ancestors survived barefoot until this point in time.
The researchers think that they may have garnered the ability to produce intricate clothing with bone tools. Hence, footwear could have been an addition that simply followed suit.
Not to mention, the Cape coast today is full of sharp rocks that can easily cause lacerations if the feet are not protected. During the Middle Stone Age roughly 130,000 years ago, a laceration that was infected could have been equivalent to a death sentence.
Extreme heat and cold protection could have also been another reason. There is also a possibility of footwear use being intermittent or occasional.
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