13th Century Shoe

Archaeologists discovered a single shoe made of sheepskin in Magdeburg Germany. The moist soil in which it lay helped preserve it for 800 years. This find gives scientists and archaeologists information about how shoemakers made shoes during the middle ages. The leather was pulled tight over a block and then sewn together. It was then turned to produce the seam. Finally, the wings were turned around and shaped into a shoe.

To preserve the 800-year-old shoe, it will be soaked in a chemical solution for two weeks and then freeze-dried after soaking in a lab in the state museum in Saxony-Anhalt. This will preserve the shoe and keep it safe for exhibition.