The history, changes, tendencies,
material used in footwear can be divided into the main world history eras:
Prehistory (2,5 million BC – 1250 BC)
The Middle Ages (476 – 1453)
Early Modern Times (1453 – 1918)
Modern Times (1918 - these days).
1991 is an important date in the history of footwear because this is the year when, at the border of Austria and Italy, archaeologists found a naturally mummified human named Oetzi from the Stone Age who died about 3300 years before our era. This Alpine traveller was wearing shoes made from deerskin with a sole made from bearskin and stuffed with hay.
During different eras there were
different views of the world, different understandings of culture and art,
different economic and political factors which played an important role in the materials
used, shapes and styles of the footwear. The discovery and capture of new
lands, new technologies and different understandings of the world changed the
style, fashion and material of footwear.
Traditionally, shoes have been made from leather, wood or canvas,
but in the 2010s, they are increasingly made from rubber, plastics, and other petro-chemical derived
materials. Though the human foot is adapted to varied terrain and climate
conditions, it is still vulnerable to environmental hazards such as sharp rocks
and temperature extremes, which the people adopt accordingly.
