In Austria, a child's shoe from more than 2,000 years ago was discovered with its laces still attached.

According to the German Mining Museum Bochum-Leibniz Research Museum for Geo-resources, the leather shoe, which is around an EU 30 (US 12) size, was probably created in the second century BC.

According to a recent news release, the shoe was discovered by archaeologists in the western community of Dürrnberg, where rock salt mining dates back to the Iron Age.

The shoe is believed to have been kept in exceptionally good condition by the salt, which is particularly effective at preserving organic residues.

“Our research activities at Dürrnberg have been providing us with valuable finds for decades in order to scientifically explore the earliest mining activities. The condition of the shoe found is outstanding,” Professor Thomas Stoellner, head of the Research Department at the German Mining Museum, said in the news release.

According to the museum, excavation work is being done at Dürrnberg to learn more about the life and work of Iron age miners.

Other archeological hints

Along with other biological remnants, such as a piece of a wooden shovel blade and some fur that may have been from a fur hood, archaeologists also found the shoe.

According to the press statement, the lacing from the shoe's remains that were discovered preserved was probably composed of flax or linen.

Finding a child's shoe is "always something special," according to the museum, as it proves that kids were present underground.

Stoellner added, “Organic materials generally decompose over time. Finds like this child’s shoe, but also textile remains or excrement like those found on Dürrnberg, offer an extremely rare insight into the life of Iron Age miners.”