ARCH2002: Australian Historical Archaeology

ARCH2002: Australian Historical Archaeology – Major Assignment

Option 3: Life History of an Artefact Assignment – Footwear

Footwear is a material commonly used in today’s society. The highly used artefact has changed throughout its time to adapt to different surroundings, in order to gain the most out of every situation. From the beginning when it was bag wrappings made from animal fur to now, where some shoes are designed to correct your posture, you can tell how far footwear has come. This artefact is important in an archaeology sense because “it gives insight into a unique human cultural adaptation that assisted the spread of humanity around the world” (Rana, 2008).

For most of its existence footwear has been used for two main reasons; protection and warmth. It has only been recently that they have been used for comfort and fashion among other things. The history, adaptation, and purpose of footwear are critical points in discussing the life history of this artefact. Changes in the style and technology of the artefact are another focal point, which will be encountered with.

The history of an artefact is always an important place to begin when discussing how the artefact came to be what it is, or in this case what they are. Footwear has come a long way since its early beginnings. Although archaeologists believe that the first footwear dates to around 40,000 to 26,000 years ago, the earliest footwear found dates around 10,000 years ago. These were 70 pairs of sandals discovered by Luther Cressman in 1938 in a cave in Central Oregon, United States of America, although it was not until 1999 when they were revealed by Petr Hlavacek as being 10,000 years old (The Seattle Times, 1999).

Henry Spurling Page 1 The evidence behind the logic for 40,000 to 26,000 year old footwear is found in the bones of the people of this era. “Humans’ smaller toes became weaker during this time, says Physical Anthropologist Erik Trinkaus… He attributes this anatomical change to the invention of rugged shoes, that reduced our need for strong, flexible toes to grip and balance” (Johnson, 2005). This is possibly the only downside to the invention of footwear, is that our four smaller toes have become weaker.

The oldest leather shoe found is incredibly well preserved and, surprisingly is not too different than today’s modern shoes. The shoe, pictured below, was found in Armenia and astonished archaeologists in the way it looked so modern, for a shoe that is 5,500 years old. Due to mass amounts of sheep dung and dryness, the shoe was well preserved and was easily distinguishable. Some in depth knowledge of maybe how the shoe was made was given by a shoemaker called Yvette Worrall who said; “I’d imagine the leather was wetted first and then cut and fitted around the foot, using the foot as a last [mold] to stitch it up there and then.” (Ravilious, 2010).

Figure 1: The oldest leather shoe found in Armenia

All of these old shoes were used for two purposes; “…for thermal insulation in cold climates and for protection of the plantar foot in all climates” (Trinkaus and Shang, 2007), which were both needed in order to extend their existence and travels. The history behind footwear is an intriguing science, mostly because of the importance of footwear to everyday life, but also to show where humans of the past were in relation to the technology of footwear, to compare with to see how far we have come.

Henry Spurling Page 2 Before footwear, humans used there bare feet to move around places. This therefore limited the expansion of man, due to the harsh land that had to be covered. Because it was so long ago, we will never know the technological history that led up to the invention of the first footwear; however we do know that human beings would not have achieved as much as they have today without footwear to do so. I believe we do not know how much footwear means to the world. No one dared to explore without the proper equipment; the first explorers became explorers because they had the right equipment, i.e. appropriate footwear.

In the beginning of its existence the purpose of footwear was blunt; warmth and protection, although, as time went on, people found out that footwear was an important entity and can be adapted and manipulated to coincide with the different environments earth was able to produce. For example; Sir Douglas Mawson was able to explore Antarctica and the South Pole, although he could not have done so without an invention called crampons, pictured below. Crampons were, and still are, used to grip to slippery, icy ground. This is but a fraction of how footwear has adapted to the various environments of planet earth.

Figure 2: Crampons used by explorer Sir Douglas Mawson to journey through icy terrain.

Henry Spurling Page 3 In today’s society the purpose of footwear has grown quite a lot from its beginnings. As an example I have taken photographs of the various footwear that are found in my house. These photos only take into account the footwear of four boys, therefore they may be quite bias.

Figure 3: A golf shoe, which has spikes underneath used for grip whilst going through the swing of a shot.

Figure 4: A football boot, which has rubber spikes underneath used for grip when playing football, especially helpful in the wet.

Figure 5: A work boot, which has a steel cap for protection when working on a dangerous site, and also a high top to maximize protection.

Henry Spurling Page 4 Figure 6: A cricket shoe, with metal spikes underneath to give grip when bowling, and cushioned sides for comfort.

Figure 7: A thong, which is used mainly during summer or hot days to give a cool feeling whilst protecting the foot.

Figure 8: A sandshoe, which is used when walking, running, exercising etc., because it is lightweight and comfortable.

Henry Spurling Page 5 Figure 9: A dress shoe, which is primarily used for fashion purposes to make you look good.

In catalogues, advertisements on TV, and the internet shoe stores boast of their new range of shoes in store. This is where today’s footwear technologies have greater purpose than older shoes. According to The Athlete’s Foot modern running shoes have more purpose than just protection. “Running produces a shock through your legs two to four times your body weight, every single time your foot hits the ground. Modern running shoe technology can help soften the impact, but only if the shoe and foot type are correctly matched” (The Athlete’s Foot, 2010).

A quote from Reverend Tom Foggy Dribble talks of the social history of the use of footwear; “The status of a man’s shoe is an indicator of civilised values, economic well- being and impeccable taste” (Benstock and Ferriss, 2001). This is an assumption which doesn’t reflect the opinion of the total history of the artefact, although is considered to be a more modern way of seeing footwear.

Social history is the history of ordinary people and their strategies of coping with what life throws at them. Thus footwear aids in social history through when some establishments, such as pubs, clubs, and function centers, have rules which go along the lines of; proper footwear must be worn at all times. Therefore, for example, Figure 9 would be the only proper shoes, out of the figures shown, that could be worn at these places. There is also a no shoes, no service policy in some places. The right footwear

Henry Spurling Page 6 diminishes these two problems and the social history of their use is that without any type of shoes people would not have a life, because in almost all jobs footwear is required, thus they would not be able to make a living and probably end up living on the streets.

In the beginning of footwear’s existence there was no real gender relationship between each piece of footwear. Nowadays footwear has become very gender associated. A man cannot wear high heels without being looked at with a sort of disgust. Although women can be left with a little leniency when it comes to footwear, they still are glanced at with disillusion if wearing, for example, a pair of boots. If we go back to the quote from Reverend Tom Foggy Dribble where he says that the status of a man’s shoe is an indicator of civilised values, economic well-being and impeccable taste, this quote describes how the relationship of power comes is used when wearing footwear. For example if a person is wearing paper bags everyday as footwear, you would think that this person has little power, whereas a person dressed appropriately and is wearing classy shoes, such as figure 9, you would think he would have more power.

In this day and age, footwear has many different types and brands, which, depending on the wearer, can have different wear and alterations. The artefact of footwear is a broad field and therefore the wear and alterations are not all the same, although the grip underneath shoes usually shows the first sign of wear and tear. There are marks on all footwear indicating who made them, with some more clear than others; figure 8 with the ‘N’ standing for New Balance is a recognizable trademark.

The shoe from Oregon, as mentioned earlier, is around 10,000 years old and survived that long due to the area it was preserved in, which was full of sheep dung and was also dry. If an artefact was to be analyzed after it had been removed from its original position the analyzers would not know how it survived for so long, because they would not know what was in the area where it came from. Also excavating an artefact like a shoe is a delicate process and if it was to be removed the risk of damage grows. Once removed from its original position the artefact may disintegrate, because it has been there for such a very long time. Movement of an artefact from its original archaeological context may

Henry Spurling Page 7 become a problem, because of the legal issue of moving artefacts, which can be tied up in court and could prolong the analyzing process.

Today, footwear has become a vital part of everyday life, whether it is impressing in a board meeting, or protecting your feet from being sawed off on a construction site. From its original usages; protection and warmth, footwear has grown to become, at sometimes, taken for granted. Because it was so long ago, its origins have become less distinguishable, although archaeologists are discovering more and more about footwear in ancient times. Footwear is used, at times, to associate ones self with power, and can also be gender related. All things considered, the artefact of any type of footwear is a perfect insight into how we “…move around our environments and experience the world in which we live, they also have a powerful influence on the social and emotional aspects of our lives” (Williams, 2010).

Henry Spurling Page 8 References

- Rana, Dr. Fazale, June 17th 2008, Human Origins – Adam and Eve – “First Footwear Dates to 40,000 Years Ago”, Reasons to Believe, viewed at; http://www.reasons.org/human-origins/adam-and-eve/first-footwear-dates-40000- years-ago - The Seattle Times, December 1st 1999, “World’s Oldest Shoes In Oregon – 10,000-Year-Old Sandals Found In 1938 Among 70 Pairs Unearthed Within Cave”, The Associated Press, Seattle Times Company, Seattle, USA, viewed at; http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/archive/? date=19991201&slug=2998668 - Johnson, Olivia, August 24th 2005, “Bones reveal first shoe-wearers”, BBC News, Science/Nature, United Kingdom, viewed at; http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/4173838.stm - Ravilious, Kate, June 9th 2010, National Geographic – Daily News, “Worlds Oldest Shoe Found – Stunningly Preserved”, National Geographic News, viewed at; http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2010/06/100609-worlds-oldest- leather-shoe-armenia-science/ - Trinkaus, Erik, and Shang, Hong, December 5th 2007, “Anatomical evidence for the antiquity of human footwear: Tianyuan and Sunghir”, Journal of Archaeological Science 35 (2008) 1928-1933, St Louis, USA, and Beijing, China. Retrieved from database: ScienceDirect. - “In the Footsteps of Sir Douglas Mawson”, is supported by the Commonwealth Government through the Department of Communications, Information Technology and the Arts, Project Manager: Simon Langsford. - The Athlete’s Foot, 2010, Our Footwear – Running, viewed at; http://www.theathletesfoot.com.au/#/pg_running - Benstock, Shari, and Ferriss, Suzanne, 2001, “Footnotes: on shoes”, pp. 117, Rutgers University Press, Piscataway, New Jersey, USA. - Williams, Dr. Anita, and Nester, Prof. Chris, 2010, Pocket Podiatry: Footwear and Foot Orthoses, Chapter 4: “Evolution of footwear design and purpose”, pp. 57-67.

Henry Spurling Page 9 Figures

- Figure 1 retrieved at; http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2010/06/100609- worlds-oldest-leather-shoe-armenia-science/ - Figure 2 retrieved at; http://okhistory.org/community/fic/files/2009/03/crampons.jpg - Figure 3-9 were photos taken by me from my house.

Henry Spurling Page 10 ARCH2002: Australian Historical Archaeology – Major Assignment Research

This part of the assignment has been included in order for other people to know where I have been with my research to therefore use or grow on it in the future.

 After much consultation for my major assignment I have chosen; Option 3: Life History of an Artefact assignment.  And the artefact I have chosen to research is the life history of footwear. The idea cam to me whilst doing an assignment for Australia Studies where I discussed how footwear has changed and adapted over the years, which intrigued me as an archaeology student.  The next thing that needs to be done is the research aspect. The research aspect of the assignment will be split into two parts; history and purpose. To begin with the internet and books will be used to determine a thorough history of footwear.  The internet became the most relevant source of information on the history of footwear with many results found. The range websites showed varied and informative results.  Databases also came into use whilst trying to find information on the history of footwear. ScienceDirect and JStor were thoroughly searched to gain more information on the subject.  An option that could benefit further research on the history of footwear could be a more thorough search of books, which would contain information on the history of footwear in order to gain a greater perspective of the study.

The websites below, and on next page, were found when researching on the history of footwear. They contain the basis of knowledge that will be inferred into the major assignment on the life history of footwear. These are relevant and useful websites, which aid in the understanding of footwear and where it came from.

Henry Spurling Page 11 - http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2010/06/100609-worlds-oldest-leather- shoe-armenia-science/ - http://pages.uoregon.edu/connolly/FRsandals.htm - http://www.reasons.org/human-origins/adam-and-eve/first-footwear-dates-40000- years-ago - http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/archive/? date=19991201&slug=2998668 - http://www.jstor.org.ezproxy.flinders.edu.au/stable/1506027? seq=6&Search=yes&term=footwear&list=hide&searchUri=%2Faction %2FdoBasicSearch%3FQuery%3Dfootwear%26gw%3Djtx%26acc%3Don %26prq%3Dhistory%2Bof%2Bfootwear%26hp%3D25%26wc %3Don&item=1&ttl=3282&returnArticleService=showFullText&resultsService Name=null - http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/4173838.stm

 The second section of research, as mentioned before, is on the purpose of footwear.  The purpose of footwear came to me as general knowledge, therefore not much research needed to be done.  I knew that Sir Douglas Mawson used some sort of different footwear that would allow him to journey through the icy terrain when he was exploring Antarctica, although I had no idea of what they were called. I gathered this information from the website http://www.mawson.sa.gov.au/ie.htm.  Obtaining quotations from distinguished writers showed intelligent ways of describing the purposes of footwear.  In catalogues for shoe stores they explain the purpose of footwear in today’s society. Like when running, modern shoes help absorb the shock of the foot hitting the ground.

I took pictures of various shoes in my own house to understand the different purposes of

Henry Spurling Page 12 the different footwear, which are among us today. These pictures show the footwear of four boys, therefore, for future reference, maybe include footwear from a girl in order to obtain more purposes of footwear.

Because footwear is such a common thing, and thus well-known, I believe answering the questions that are given in the handbook about the artefact are pretty self explanatory. Looking through the research on the history and purpose of footwear will also help me in answering the relevant questions. Although some of these questions may not be able to be answered due to the expansiveness of its origins.

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