Armenia contains Areni-1 cave, where the world’s oldest known leather shoe was found.
The shoe was discovered in 2008 in Areni-1 cave in Armenia’s Vayots Dzor Province. Radiocarbon dating placed it at about 3500 BCE, during the Chalcolithic period, making it roughly 5,500 years old.
The single-piece leather shoe was shaped for a right foot and fitted with leather laces. Researchers found it filled with grass, although the grass may have helped preserve its shape rather than served as insulation.
The shoe is sometimes confused with older footwear impressions or fragments from other archaeological sites. Its distinction is that it is the oldest known complete leather shoe. The same cave also produced ancient grape and wine-related evidence, linking the area to early viticulture.