ARCHEOLOGISTS IN AUSTRIA UNEARTH 2,000-YEAR-OLD CHILD’S SHOE WITH INTACT LACES

Sat 23 September 2023:

A child’s shoe that dates back more than two millennia (2,000 years) and still has its original laces was discovered by archaeologists in Austria, media reports said.

The leather shoe, which dates to the second century BC and is about similar to a current EU 30 (US 12), was discovered in western Austria at the location of Dürrnberg.

According to a recent statement from the German Mining Museum Bochum-Leibniz Research Museum for Georesources, rock salt mining in this region dates back to the Iron Age.

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The remarkable preservation of the shoe can be attributed to the rock salt deposits in the region, known for their exceptional ability to protect organic materials.

Professor Thomas Stoellner, head of the Research Department at the German Mining Museum, expressed his astonishment at the shoe’s condition, saying, “Our research activities at Dürrnberg have been providing us with valuable finds for decades in order to scientifically explore the earliest mining activities. The condition of the shoe found is outstanding.”

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Amazingly well-preserved excavation find on Dürrnberg: a child’s shoe that is over 2,000 years old (Photo: German Mining Museum Bochum)

Something special

The ongoing excavations at Dürrnberg is aimed to dig up more details on the lives and work of Iron Age miners, as per the museum. The shoe was discovered alongside other organic remains, including a fragment of a wooden shovel blade and remnants of fur with lacing, possibly part of a fur hood.

The laces of the shoe were identified as likely made from flax or linen, as per the statement.

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The discovery of a child’s shoe held particular significance as it indicates the presence of children in the underground mining operations. The museum said that finding the child’s shoe is “always something special.”

Stoellner added, “Organic materials generally decompose over time. Finds like this child’s shoe, but also textile remains or excrement like those found on Dürrnberg, offer an extremely rare insight into the life of Iron Age miners.”

The research work on prehistoric salt production at Dürrnberg near Hallein in Austria is part of a long-term research project. The work is funded by Salinen Austria AG and Salinen Tourismus and is carried out in collaboration with the Institute for Archaeological Sciences at the Ruhr University Bochum.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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