story of shoes

Name : Saum Maria Maghdalena and Heri Sugianto/speaking 4 Mrs. Budi Rahmawati

THE HISTORY OF SHOES

The history of shoes began more than 40,000 years ago with man's need to protect his feet from harm. Our ancestors required sturdy shoes to shield their feet from rocks, sand and harsh weather conditions.

History

The first shoe worn by man was a sandal. Famously crafted by ancient Egyptians out of papyrus leaves and made from soft leather by Persians, sandals also were worn in Greece, Rome and Mesopotamia. During the Middle Ages, sandals were abandoned for moccasins and boots. An early form of moccasin was used by the American Indians as well as the Eskimos. Thomas Beard brought shoemaking from London to the United States in the mid-1500s.

In the 16th century, wealthy French women and aristocrats in Venice wore the first high-heeled, platform wooden shoes. Similar to modern times in which special shoes are worn for weddings, athletics and dance performances, early shoe history reveals that footwear was created for special events and ceremonies. According to National Geographic.com, in the 15th century, wealthy Italian and French women wore elaborately decorative shoes called chompines. These high heels were precursors to the infamous Italian-named stilettos of the 1950s.

Stone Age China

Seven thousand years ago, people in China's northern provinces made leather shoes by binding sections of skins to their feet using leather strips and bone needles, while at the same time, the people in the eastern regions made shoes using flax thread and bamboo needles. The oldest pair of boots unearthed in China, made from sheep skin, belonged to a woman buried four thousand years ago.

Straw Sandals

Straw sandals are one of the earliest styles of shoes worn by Chinese people. Today, millions of Chinese wear the same straw shoe their ancestors wore thousands of years ago.

Yin and Shang Dynasties

Nomadic people of the Yin and Shang dynasties of China (14th-12th centuries B.C.E.) produced the earliest record of glazed pottery and industrialized bronze pottery. Soldiers wrapped pieces of rattan in hide and secured them over their shins for protection in battle. During the Shang dynasty in particular, the discovery of the silkworm brought silk weaving into the Chinese culture. Eventually the colorful dyes of natural plants of China changed woven silk material into colorful cloth shoes worn by the royal court.

Zhou Dynasty

Clothing on unearthed terra-cotta military figures from this period shows the same style of stitched soles on handmade cloth shoes still worn in China today. Stitch-soled cloth shoes developed over two thousand years ago specifically for the Chinese military.

Qinq Dynasty

During the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911 C.E.), the pointed toe boot adorned feet for everyday wear. Attending court functions required wearing the square-toed boot. Chinese history saw the last of this style shoe with the downfall of the last ruling emperor of China--Emperor Xuantong--in 1911.

Dutch Clog

The clog is Holland's traditional wooden shoe that dates to 1367. Clogs are made from balsa-white poplar trees and fashioned from square blocks of wet wood that is shaped and smoothed to fit the foot. Traditionally, the Dutch clogs are painted yellow with red patterns. In the past, each village would have its own unique pattern for painting clogs.

Geta

Geta are Japanese sandals made of straw and wood. The shoes resemble thong sandals that have a sole and platform fashioned from wooden blocks. Geta are often made with a flat, wooden sole and two supports, which are perpendicular to the sole. The straps can be made from straw or cloth. The geta were originally designed for workers in rice fields and helped elevate the feet above water and mud. These traditional sandals are still worn in contemporary Japanese culture and are frequently paired with kimonos.