The idea that early humans spent most of their time in and among trees has been boosted by evidence from a cave site in South Africa. This contradicts the standard view, which envisages early hominids in Africa running about on dry, grassy plains in the heat of the midday sun.
It’s difficult to pinpoint when humans first started wearing footwear, but there’s evidence that they’ve been using it since prehistoric times. Some evidence suggests that humans may have needed footwear in some areas as early as 50,000 years ago during the Last Glacial Period. Osteologists have also found evidence of footwear’s effect on human remains from around 40,000 years ago.
The earliest known shoes are sagebrush bark sandals that were found in Fort Rock Cave, Oregon in 1938 and date back to around 7000–8000 BC. The shoes were preserved under Mazama Ash that was deposited around 5025 BC during the volcanic eruption that created Crater Lake. In 1999, the shoes were dated to around 10,500–9,300 BP. The earliest known leather shoes are believed to date back to 3500 BC.
Other evidence of early footwear includes:
Preserved footprints
Footprints found in South Africa suggest that ancient humans may have been wearing shoes over 100,000 years ago. The footprints may have been made by people wearing sandals and were found at three sites along the southern coast of South Africa, including Kleinkrantz in Garden Route National Park.
Changes in foot shape and toe strength
Changes in foot shape and toe strength indicate that people may have been using footwear with substantial soles by about 40,000 years ago.