Archaeology has long been an interest of mine. The history of shoes is a vast expanse of ideas and evidence. Numerous archaeologists and historians have tackled the subject and yielded a ton of information.
To illustrate how far we've come, there are thousands of shoe stores and designs in present day, but it was approximately 1200 B.C. when the first shoe was known to exist. The inspirational Egyptians were one of the first to develop the sandal.
In a class driven society, shoes were one of many factors in differentiating the classes. It's expected that some of the 'commoners' were probably still barefoot. Even in these early days, an understanding of protecting the foot was apparent.
In Greece, a more athletic shoe was developed for the sporty nation home to some of the finest gladiators.
In 16th Century India, only nobility could wear shoes, and their interpretation included a covering across the toe.
The gladiator sandal that has become so popular is loosely based on the roman sandal.
In the 18th Century, boots became more popular. For armor and protection of the feet shoes became more than just a sole protection.
Around 1845 shoe production moved from hand tools of ancient Egyptian origins to machinery. The United States developed the first machinery for shoe production in this year and the following year the sewing machine by Elias Howe was invented.
In 1858 more machinery was developed, by Lyman R. Blake to sew the soles of the shoe to the upper material. Around this time shoes became more ornate with the flexibility of machines and updated technology.
Alpine boots for Russia's harsh climates were developed around 1870.
Modern shoes are well known to all of us, but some of the most popular styles are platforms of the 60's and stilettos of the 80's.
To read more about this history of shoes and footwear, see these links
here and
here.