Centuries-old Egyptian socks made for sandals look like a current style statement

Whether you're a fan of the socks and sandal combination or not, it seems it's been around for ages. Some believe it's a style statement that's captivated street style stars and fashion designers alike. There seems to be a renewed acceptance of wearing socks with sandals but there are many who are still aversive to the idea.

Either way, history proves that this is no new trend. An ancient sock from Egypt known as “The Lost Sock” can be found in the National Museums Scotland's collection and features orange, red, yellow, green and blue wool stripes, per My Modern Met. According to the museum's blog, the sock was probably found in Akhmim (Ipu in ancient Egypt), and dates from the 4th–5th century AD, making it at least 1,500 years old. It's hard to ignore the most unique part of the sock, the divided toe!

This makes people believe that socks of this type may have been designed to be worn with thonged sandals. "Perhaps the notion that you would require such a sock in a hot and arid climate seems a little strange, but cooler evenings and a change to damper winter weather would have made the wearing of socks and/or sandals desirable for wealthier members of Egyptian society," the blog stated.

Another ancient sock with a split toe can now be found at the "Victoria & Albert Museum. According to the museum's website, "the top of the leg has an overlapping slit at center front; three or four extra stitches are added at the front to form an under flap, ending in a loop, for fastening or tying.”

The red socks were discovered in Egypt at the end of the 19th century and are believed to have been made in the 4th to 5th century. The museum states that they were made using a method called "nålbindning, sometimes called knotless netting or single needle knitting—a technique closer to sewing than knitting. These socks were made using three-ply wool. Some believe that this technique was a forerunner of the faster method of knitting with two or more needles."

Egypt is a treasure trove of fascinating archaeological findings. More recently a 4,400-year-old tomb buried under sand was found again 160 years after it was first discovered. A team of Czech archaeologists rediscovered the tomb belonging to an ancient Egyptian high official called Ptahshepses, as reported by IFL Science. The official from the Old Kingdom period is believed to have lived around 4,400 years ago.

According to the British Museum, Ptahshepses was an important figure of his time and was married to Khamaat, who was a royal and is said to be the daughter of Shepseskaf. As an official, he contributed to the reigns of four kings.

 The site was first discovered by a French scholar named Auguste Mariette, some 160 years ago who found the tomb of Ptahshepses and partially “excavated” it. Mariette extracted Ptahshepses’s false door. According to Egyptian culture, it is believed that this structure could be utilized by spirits to enter and exit the tomb. There is also a lintel that is found above the chapel. Mariette could not find the tomb as it was buried under the sand.

The lost tomb was discovered in the zone between the pyramid fields of Abusir and Saqqara, Egypt. Miroslav Barta, head of research at Abusir detailed what it took to achieve this discovery, “Detailed satellite imagery of the area and the study of old maps led to the rediscovery of the tomb of Ptahshepses in 2022,” adding that the "difficult search" lasted several years.