A study published this week in the journal Science Advances suggests that sandals found in a cave in Spain are 6,000 years old and are the oldest footwear ever discovered in Europe, reports CNN.

22 woven sandals date back 6,000 years, radiocarbon dating shows in a study led by researchers from the Autonomous University of Barcelona and the University of Alcalá in Spain.

The ancient shoes, along with a number of Mesolithic baskets and other tools, were first discovered in 1857 when miners looted a cave in southern Spain.

However, when the artifacts were first dated in the 1970s, they were determined to be about 1,000 years younger than the latest analysis found.

According to the researchers, the very dry conditions in the cave were ideal for preserving perishable materials and allowed for the preservation of the prehistoric burial site, which contained partially mummified bodies, baskets, wooden tools, sandals and other items.

The objects represent “the oldest and best-preserved assemblage of plant fiber materials from southern Europe known to date,” Maria Herrero Otal, one of the study’s authors, said in a statement, adding that they demonstrate “the ability of prehistoric communities to master this type of craftsmanship.” .

When Spanish archaeologist Manuel de Góngora y Martínez visited the cave in 1867, 10 years after the robbery, he collected the remaining artifacts, including sandals, and gave them to museums in Madrid and Granada, where they were examined by researchers, he adds. study.

Sandals were made from grass as well as other materials, including leather and ramie, a type of natural fiber.

Using the descriptions provided by Gongora, the study suggests that the human remains were buried in sandals.