A
shoe is an item of
footwear intended to protect and comfort tthe human foot while doing various activities. Shoes are also used as an item of decoration. The
design of shoes has varied enormously through time and from
culture to culture, with appearance originally being tied to function. Additionally fashion has often dictated many design elements, such as whether shoes have very high heels or flat ones. Contemporary footwear varies widely in style, complexity and cost. Basic sandals may consist of only a thin sole and simple strap. High
fashion shoes may be made of very expensive materials in complex construction and sell for thousands of dollars a pair. Other shoes are for very specific purposes, such as
boots specially designed for
mountaineering or
skiing.
Shoes have traditionally been made from
leather,
wood or
canvas, but are increasingly made from
rubber,
plastics, and other
petrochemical-derived materials.
The foot contains more
bones than any other single part of the
body. Though it has
evolved over hundreds of thousands of years in relation to vastly varied
terrain and
climate conditions, the foot is still vulnerable to environmental hazards such as sharp rocks and hot ground, against which shoes can protect.
Tthe earliest known shoes are
sandals dating from approximately 7,000 or 8,000
B.C., found in the
Fort Rock Cave in the
US state of
Oregon. in 1938.
[1] The world's oldest
leather shoe, made from a single piece of cowhide laced with a leather cord along seams at the front and back, was found in a cave in
Armenia in 2008 and is believed to date to 3,500 B.C.
[2][3] Ötzi the Iceman's shoes, dating to 3,300 BC, featured brown bearskin bases, deerskin side panels, and a bark-string net, which pulled tight around the foot.
[2] However, it is estimated that shoes may have been used long before this, but it is difficult to find evidence of the earliest footwear due to the highly perishable nature of early shoes.
[4] By studying the bones of the smaller toes (as opposed to the big toe), it was observed that their thickness decreased approximately 40,000 to 26,000 years ago. This led
archaeologists to deduce that wearing shoes resulted in less bone growth, resulting in shorter, thinner toes.
[5] These earliest designs were very simple in design, often mere "foot bags" of leather to protect the feet from rocks, debris, and cold. They were more commonly found in colder climates.
Many early natives in
North America wore a similar type of footwear known as the
moccasin. These are tight-fitting, soft-soled shoes typically made out of
leather or
bison hides. Many moccasins were also decorated with various beads and other adornments. Moccasins were not designed to get wet, and in wet weather and warm summer months, most
Native Americans went
barefoot.
As
civilizations began to develop, thong sandals (the precursors of the modern
flip-flop) were worn. This practice dates back to pictures of them in
ancient Egyptian murals from 4,000 B.C. One pair found in
Europe was made of
papyrus leaves and
dated to be approximately 1,500 years old. They were also worn in
Jerusalem during the time of
Jesus Christ.
[7] Thong sandals were worn by many civilizations and made from a wide variety of materials. Ancient Egyptian sandals were made from papyrus and palm leaves. The
Masai of
Africa made them out of
rawhide. In
India, they were made from
wood. In
China and
Japan,
rice straw was used. The leaves of the
sisal plant were used to make
twine for sandals in
South America, while the natives of
Mexico used the
Yucca plant.
[8][9]
While thong sandals were commonly worn, many people in ancient times, such as the
Egyptians,
Hindu and
Greeks, saw little need for footwear, and most of the time, preferred being
barefoot. The Egyptians and Hindus made some use of ornamental footwear, such as a soleless
sandal known as a "Cleopatra", which did not provide any practical protection for the foot. The ancient Greeks largely viewed footwear as self-indulgent, unaesthetic and unnecessary. Shoes were primarily worn in the theater, as a means of increasing stature, and many preferred to go barefoot.
[10] Athletes in the
Ancient Olympic Games participated barefoot – and naked.
[11] Even the
gods and heroes were primarily depicted barefoot, and the
hoplite warriors fought battles in bare feet and
Alexander the Great conquered his vast empire with barefoot armies. The runners of
Ancient Greece are also believed to have run barefoot.
Pheidippides, the first
marathoner, ran from
Athens to
Sparta in less than 36 hours.
[12] After the
Battle of Marathon, he ran straight from the battlefield to Athens to inform the Athenians of the news.
[13]
The
Romans, who eventually conquered the Greeks, and adopted many aspects of their culture, did not adopt the Greek perception of footwear and clothing.
Roman clothing was seen as a sign of power, and footwear was seen as a necessity of living in a civilized world, although the slaves and paupers usually went barefoot.
[10] There are many references to shoes being worn in the
Bible. During weddings of this period, a father would give his son-in-law a pair of shoes, to symbolize the transfer of authority.
[14] Slaves were also commonly barefoot, and shoes were considered badges of freedom since biblical times:
A common casual shoe in the
Pyrenees during the Middle Ages are
espadrilles. These are sandals with braided jute soles and a fabric upper portion, and often includes fabric laces that tie around the ankle. The term is
French and comes from the
esparto grass. The shoes originate in the
Catalonian region of
Spain as early as the 13th century, and were commonly worn by
peasants in the farming communities in the area.
[9]
By the 15th Century,
pattens became popular by both men and women in
Europe. These are commonly seen as the predecessor of the modern
high-heeled shoe,
[15] while the poor and lower classes in Europe, as well as slaves in the New World, were barefoot.
[10] In the 15th century, the
Crakow was
fashionable in
Europe. This style of shoe is named because it is thought to have originated in
Kraków, the capitol of
Poland. The style is characterized by the point of the shoe, known as the "polaine", which often was supported by a
whalebone tied to the knee to prevent the point getting in the way while walking.
[16] Also during the 15th century,
chopines were created in
Turkey, and were usually 7-8 inches (17.7-20.3 cm) high. These shoes became popular in
Venice and throughout Europe, as a
status symbol revealing wealth and social standing. During the 16th century, royalty started wearing high-heeled shoes to make them look taller or larger than life, such as
Catherine de Medici or
Mary I of England. By 1580, even men wore them, and a person with authority or wealth was often referred to as, "well-heeled".
[15]
Many medieval shoes were made using the
turnshoe method of construction, in which the upper was turned flesh side out, and was lasted onto the sole and joined to the edge by a seam. The shoe was then turned inside-out so that the grain was outside. Some shoes were developed with toggled flaps or
drawstrings to tighten the leather around the foot for a better fit. The turnshoe method was replaced by the welted method around 1500.
[17]
Eventually the modern shoe, with a sewn-on sole, was devised. Since the 17th century, most leather shoes have used a sewn-on sole. This remains the standard for finer-quality dress shoes today. Until around 1800, shoes were made without differentiation for the left or right foot. Such shoes are now referred to as "straights".
[18] Only gradually did the modern foot-specific shoe become standard.
Since the mid-20th Century, advances in rubber, plastics, synthetic cloth, and industrial adhesives have allowed manufacturers to create shoes that stray considerably from traditional crafting techniques. Leather, which had been the primary material in earlier styles, has remained standard in expensive dress shoes, but athletic shoes often have little or no real leather. Soles, which were once laboriously hand-stitched on, are now more often machine stitched or simply glued on. Many of these newer materials, such as rubber and plastics, have made shoes less biodegradable. It is estimated that most mass-produced shoes require 1000 years to degrade in a
landfill.
[19] Recently some shoemakers have picked up on the issue and are beginning to produce shoes made entirely from
degradable materials, such as the
Nike Considered.
[20][21]
In 2007, the global shoe industry had an overall market of
$107.4 billion, in terms of
revenue, and is expected to grow to $122.9 billion by the end of 2012. Shoe manufacturers in the
People's Republic of China account for 63% of production, 40.5% of global exports and 55% of industry revenue. However, many manufacturers in
Europe dominate the higher-priced, higher value-added end of the market.
