Leather

Spatulate tools found at the Contrabandiers Cave site in Morocco. Source: Cell Press.

17 September, 2021 - 18:43 Nathan Falde

Moroccan Cave Find Shows Ancient Humans Made Clothes 120,000 Years Ago

Researchers have announced the discovery of bone tools in a cave in Morocco that appear to have been used to carefully remove skins and fur from the bodies of dead animals. The skins recovered this...

21 June, 2021 - 15:01 Sahir

2,000-Year-Old Shoe Unearthed in German Bog

Bogs have been home to some of the weirdest items and artifacts, some that were buried or stored intentionally, and others that were inadvertently lost in the mud. The archaeological record is full...

Shot of an archaeologist holding the leather prank mouse found in the Roman fort of Vindolanda. Source: Vindolanda Trust

18 May, 2020 - 18:53 ashley cowie

The Romans’ Playful Side Revealed By Prank Mouse in Vindolanda

A 2,000-year-old ‘prank mouse’ has been discovered in a bag of Roman period leather offcuts in a collection of artifacts in Northumberland’s Vindolanda Museum. The life-sized leather mouse, measuring...

Scraping hides at the Chouara Tannery, the largest of the Fez’s leather tanneries and the oldest in the world.

26 January, 2019 - 22:59 dhwty

The Ancient and Vibrant Leather Tanneries of Fez, Morocco

Fez is one of the most important cities in Morocco. Located in the northern part of the country, this ancient city served as Morocco’s capital for centuries. The historic part of the city, known also...

The Medieval skeleton was found still in its boots

4 December, 2018 - 22:57 ashley cowie

Mystery Man in High Leather Boots: How Did His Medieval Skeleton End Up in London’s River Thames?

Archaeologists working at London’s 'super sewer' in Bermondsey have recovered the skeletal remains of a man, wearing high leather boots, lying face-down in the silt of the River Thames. Much about...

The first ever Roman boxing gloves found in Britain are now on display at Vindolanda.

20 February, 2018 - 23:01 Alicia McDermott

Heavy Hitters: 2,000-Year-Old Boxing Gloves Suggest Roman Soldiers Used to Duke It Out

Still molded to the form of their former owner’s knuckles, boxing gloves found at the Roman site of Vindolanda in Northumberland, England hint at tales of soldiers increasing their battle skills,...

5500-year-old shoe in hand of researcher

9 May, 2017 - 22:59 Caleb Strom

The Everlasting Shoe: What Does This 5,500-Year-old Shoe Found in a Cave Tell Us About Ancient Armenians?

As any archaeologist knows, very few things other than stone last for a long time. In a moist, warm climate, most organic material such as hemp, cloth, wood, and leather will decay, leaving nothing...

15 June, 2016 - 00:48 Marilo

Eurasian Metals Discovered in Alaska from Centuries Before the Arrival of Europeans to the New World

A new study of two bronze objects discovered in northwest Alaska shows that they provide the first known evidence of the presence of metals from Eurasia in prehistoric North America. The artifacts...

The rediscovered leather manuscript has been compared to the Egyptian Book of the Dead (pictured). Book of the Dead papyrus of Pinedjem II, 21st dynasty, circa 990-969 BC. Originally from the Deir el-Bahri royal cache.

14 September, 2015 - 15:26 aprilholloway

4,000-year-old Ancient Egyptian manuscript measuring more than 8ft has been rediscovered in Cairo

The oldest known Egyptian leather manuscript, dating back some 4,000 years, has been rediscovered at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo after it was pulled from a dusty, old storage box, where it had been...

Medieval leather shoes found at the Westgate site, Oxford, England

20 July, 2015 - 03:44 Alicia McDermott

Over 100 Rare Leather and Wooden Artifacts Found in Oxford Dig

Archaeologists excavating in Oxford have found a stockpile of wonderfully preserved medieval leather and wooden artifacts, which is as good as gold in their eyes. They expect to uncover many more...

A Chinese archeological research institute working with the help of German experts will restore a pair of 1,400-year-old leather shoes from the Astana Tombs.

17 March, 2015 - 21:05 Mark Miller

Experts restore 1,400-year-old shoes from a Chinese tomb

Chinese archaeologists are restoring a pair of 1,400-year-old goat leather shoes that were found in the Astana Tombs in the capital of the ancient Gaocheng kingdom. Experts from Germany will spend 20...

16 January, 2015 - 22:28 Mark Miller

13th century cat- and goat-hide shop excavated in England

People wore domestic cat fur clothing in medieval England, and archaeologists may have found a site where such leather was produced in the 13 th century. Archaeologists digging in Norwich, England,...