When archaeologists in Mongolia stumbled across the remains of a 1,100-year-old mummy, they were surprised that the corpse was still wearing footwear that was in remarkable condition.
However, a full restoration of the mummy was still needed to get a closer look, so the remains were sent to the Centre of Cultural Heritage of Mongolia.
After a full restoration, researchers were baffled to see that the footwear still had plenty of colors and a rather similar design to modern footwear – various stripes, just like Adidas!
These aren’t the earliest designs for Adidas sneakers of course, but they did turn to be knee-high boots made from felt and leather, with an eye-catching red and black striped pattern.
“With these stripes, when the find was made public, they were dubbed as similar to Adidas shoes with the three stripes,” explains Galbadrakh Enkhbat, director of the Centre of Cultural Heritage of Mongolia.
“In this sense, they are an interesting object of study for ethnographers, especially so when the style is very modern.”
Researchers also unearthed more about the mummified remains, which turned out to be a Turkic female seamstress, and it’s believed she died somewhere in the Altai mountains of Mongolia due to head trauma, due to huge wound present on her skull.
Further tests will unlock more secrets about the ancient woman’s life, as well giving more insight into the period she lived in.
The fine pair of boots wasn’t all the was discovered, as various items were unearthed along with the remains, including a comb, knife, and bag, as well as the remains of a horse and saddle!
The Mongolian Observer/The Center of Cultural Heritage of Mongolia
