[custom_adv] Oldest Brassiere This bra was used between 1390 and 1485 in Austria. Earlier historical descriptions for “breast bags” do exist, but they had never been seen. [custom_adv] Oldest Socks (1,500 years old) Made of wool, these Romano-Egyptian socks were designed to go with sandals. This pair was knitted between 300 and 499 AD and found in a burial ground in an ancient Greece colony in central Egypt the 19th century. [custom_adv] Oldest Prosthetic Discovered with Egyptian mummies buried 3,000 years ago was a false toe, now believed to be oldest prosthetic device in existence. The fake toe, which was fashioned out of wood and leather, had been buried with a woman who was thought to have lived between 950 B.C. and 710 B.C., and, according to experts, it looks as though it was more of a practical walking device rather than a prosthetic. [custom_adv] Oldest Footwear Within a cave in Armenia, along with a treasure trove of other artifacts from the Copper Age, was a well-preserved shoe that was later revealed to be the oldest example of footwear ever discovered. The 5,500-year-old moccasin-like shoe was made from a single piece of cowhide leather (a technique that draws premium prices for today’s designer shoes under the designation “whole cut”) and rubbed with a plant or vegetable oil. [custom_adv] Oldest Written Recipe “A Sumerian Beer recipe dating back to 3000 BC. The result beer is very strong and would contain chunks of bread floating around in it.” [custom_adv] Oldest sunglasses The oldest snow goggles ever found were made of bone leather or wood and date back 2000 years to a culture known as Old Bering Sea, who lived around the west coast of Alaska and were the ancestors of the modern Inuit. [custom_adv] Oldest Purse After excavating a site near Leipzig, Germany, archaeologists uncovered more than a hundred dog teeth neatly aligned in a grave that dates to back to roughly 2,500 B.C. According to archaeologist Susanne Friederich, the teeth were most likely used as decorations for the outer flap of an ancient purse. [custom_adv] Oldest Piece of Gum A British archaeology student discovered a 5,000-year-old piece of Neolithic chewing gum made from birch bark tar. 23-year-old Sarah Pickin found the ancient gum while on a dig in Finland and it was later revealed to have tooth marks in it. Birch bark tar is known to contain phenols, which have antiseptic properties. It is generally believed that Neolithic people used to chew the stuff to help treat mouth and gum infections. [custom_adv] Oldest Pants This ancient pair of trousers is 3,300 years old and was found in the Yanghai tombs in Western China in 2014. [custom_adv] Oldest “Flush” Toilets Ephesus, an ancient city in Turkey, had “flushing” toilets. Running water below the seats carried waste away into a nearby river. [custom_adv] Oldest Musical Instruments In 2012, researchers identified what now holds the title as the oldest-known musical instruments in the world. The two flutes, made from mammoth ivory and bird bone which carbon dating revealed to be approximately 43,000 years old, were found in a cave in southern Germany and are now regarded as early evidence for the occupation of Europe by modern humans. [custom_adv] The Oldest Recorded Melody The oldest surviving written melody was found in Ugarit, which is now part of Northern Syria. The music was written for the lyre. [custom_adv] Oldest Coins The heritage of ancient coins is a subject that intrigues and delights collectors and scholars the world over. The oldest coin available today was discovered in Efesos, an ancient Hellenic city and prosperous trading center on the coast of Asia Minor. The 1/6 stater, pictured below, is more than 2,700 years old, making it one of the very earliest coins. [custom_adv] Oldest Globe This old globe was painstakingly etched into the surface of an ostrich egg in Italy. Before its age and origin were verified, it had been sold to its current owner at a map fair in London in 2012.
