Oldest cow leather shoe found in Armenia
14:51, June 11, 2010 
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The top and bottom close-up images show in detail how the shoe was laced together with a strip of leather. The image on the right shows its smooth sole.
Irish archaeologists discovered a right-foot cow leather shoe in an Armenian cave that is roughly 5,500 years old, making it the oldest known leather shoe in the world.
The shoe was made from one piece of cow leather and preserved well. It is a size 4 (Chinese size 37) shoe with bootlaces on both the front and back. In the cave, archaeologists found other marks of human beings that had lived here.
According to the Associated Press, cultural relics such as basins and jars usually discovered in ancient people's living place are not very helpful for figuring out their lifestyle. However, the shoe that was found this time is really a good source.
Before this discovery, the oldest leather shoe was a bear and dear feather shoe found in the Alps, which dated back 5,100 to 5,300 years.
By People's Daily Online/Agencies
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（Editor：王寒露）
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http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90782/90873/7022476.pdf