Pre-historic Man and Leather

From the time of the ice ages, man has used the hides of animals to provide himself with clothing and shelter. He hunted animals for the purpose of food, but after consuming all the meat they would scrap the hides clean and use them as primitive forms of clothing as well as to make primitive tents. Smaller pieces, ancient man found could be strapped to his feet, with vines etc., to protect him from thorns and sharp rocks.

He soon found however, that this material was not versatile enough to suit his needs. It rotted at high temperatures or upon being exposed to water whilst becoming inflexible and hard at lower temperatures.

It is unknown how man developed methods of preserving and softening leather, but it is thought to be through a process of trial and error. Early methods of tanning included the application of animal fats, bark extracts and other such materials to the hides and smoking them to preserve them.

The earliest known leather artefact is a shoe, dating back to 3500 BC that was discovered at an archaeological dig in Armenia. The shoe has been named, Areni-1.