Austria,Vienna: On Thursday, Archaeologists said that they had found what they believe to be Europe’s oldest prosthetic implant in the shape of a wooden foot dating from the sixth century in Austria.  The discovery was made in the grave of a man missing his left foot and ankle at Hemmaberg in southern Austria. Instead at the end of his leg was an iron ring and remnants of a clump of wood and leather.

Sabine Ladstaetter from the Austrian Archeological Institute (OeAI) said, “He appears to have got over the loss of his foot and lived for two more years at least with this implant, and walking pretty well”. She said,  the skeleton of what appears to have been a high-ranking Frankish figure was discovered in 2013, but it is only now that the “very, very surprising findings” about the foot have emerged.