Archeologists unearth 2000-year-old child-sized shoe in Austria in excellent condition (PHOTO)

It may have been a few small steps for this child, but it is now a giant leap for mankind. That's how you might sum up this rather rare discovery by archaeologists in Austria. A child's shoe dating back over 2,000 years has just been found, and with it an important part of history has just surfaced.

A child's shoe kept in perfect condition

German archaeologists have just made an extremely important discovery! As reported by Arkeonews, a team of experts recently unearthed a child's leather shoe from a salt mine. The find was made at a well-known site in the town of Dürrnberg, not far from the German border. This is not the first time that researchers have found objects in the mine, but it is the first time that an object belonging to a child has been identified. The size would correspond to a current UK size 12.

The shoe, made of leather and fabric, is thought to be a relic from the Iron Age. For the record, Dürrnberg is located on the outskirts of the town of Hallstatt, a major site for iron metallurgy. So important, in fact, that one period of the Iron Age is even known as the 'Hallstatt period'. It lasted from 800 BC to 450 BC. According to Professor Thomas Stöllner, who led the research, 'organic matter generally decomposes very quickly'. But it is thanks to salt, which has the ability to absorb water, that the object is in such a perfect state of preservation.

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Mining children?

This discovery is vital because it gives us a better idea of how miners lived in those distant times. The discovery of children's shoes on the site gives a clearer idea of another reality: the presence of children in the salt mines. For the moment, archaeologists have not yet been able to define their role within the mines, but at least at Dürrnberg, their presence is no longer in doubt. Apart from this aspect, this find is also a fabulous testimony to the local crafts of yesteryear.

The team of archaeologists also found fur from a hood as well as laces made from linen or canvas. But that's not all. Other items were also unearthed near the child's shoe, such as various parts of a shovel. Research is continuing to unearth other items that could make history. Was this child's presence in the mines an isolated case? What was he doing there? These are just some of the questions that the archaeologists will be trying to answer.

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This article has been translated from Gentside FR.

Sources used:

Arkeonews: Extremely well-preserved 2000-year-old child’s leather Shoe Discovered During Archaeological Mine Excavations