| Areni-1 shoe | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Material | Leather |
| Created | c. 3500 BC |
| Discovered | 2008 Areni-1 cave, Vayots Dzor, Armenia |
| Discovered by | Diana Zardaryan |
| Present location | Yerevan, Armenia |
The Areni-1 shoe is a 5,500-year-old leather shoe that was found in 2008 in excellent condition in the Areni-1 cave located in the Vayots Dzor province of Armenia.[1] It is a one-piece leather-hide shoe, the oldest piece of leather footwear in the world known to contemporary researchers. The discovery was made by an international team led by Boris Gasparyan, an archaeologist from the Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography of the National Academy of Sciences of Armenia (co-directors of the project are Ron Pinhasi from University College Cork in Ireland, and Gregory Areshian from UCLA).[2]
- ^ Dindar, Shereen (June 9, 2010). "World's Oldest Leather Shoe Found—Stunningly Preserved". National Post. Canada. Retrieved June 11, 2010.
- ^ Bruce Bower (July 3, 2010). "Ancient shoe steps out of cave and into limelight". Science News. Archived from the original on October 26, 2012. Retrieved September 8, 2010.