Ancestral footprints

The importance of the fossil footprints shows that early humans were bipedal as early as four million years ago. The Laetoli footprints were discovered in 1978, in a remote part of Tanzania by Andrew Hill, a paleontologist and professor at Yale University; working with Mary Leakey's research team.

Approximately four million years ago, a volcano erupted blanketing the landscape with volcanic ash. Following precipitation, the ash became like plaster; producing an ideal surface for footprint impressions of the numerous animals.In time the surface turned into a hard cement preserving its captured tell-tale signs .
A member of our early human species, Australopithecus afarensis, provided a record of their passing, the fossil footprints indicate two individuals, walking side by side.

Ancient prosthesis

As a profession what consensus of opinion can we provide for the functionality of this prosthesis?

In 2002, members of the Egyptian-German mission working in the Qurna area of the Theban West Bank made the discovery. It was made in the accumulated debris in the rock cut shaft of the New Kingdom tomb of Mery, a priest of Amun in the reign of Amenothep II. However, the tomb was reused for the burial of nobles of the late Twentieth and early Twenty-first Dynasties and the opinion at the time-as reported in Al Ahram issue 599,-was that the artificial toe belonged to a high ranking Theban lady of that period.I consider that the lady did walk with this prosthesis in place, which resulted in the wear marks to the plantar surface of the prosthesis. But, without functionality to aid her walking, I believe the cosmetic qualities of were the prime commodity addressing her psychosocial needs and the religious burial requirements that were expected during her lifetime.

Welcome

Welcome to...palaeopodiatry..., archaeological and anthropological evidence which relates to podiatry. A new learning resource and direction for podiatry.