where did high heels come from?

The matter of where high heels came from and who invented them is very controversial. Some people argue that Leonardo De Vinci invented them while others say they came from Hellenic times. However the high heel originated from Egypt.

Although most Egyptians walked barefoot, we know that as early as 3500 BC, an early version of high heels were worn by the higher class Egyptians. Not only did the higher class women wear this footwear but so did the higher class men! This is footwear is thought to be only worn by the upper class Egyptians for important ceremonies or traditions.

 Now these 'high heels' were nothing like todays high heels!
They are thought to be pieces of leather held together with lacing that was often arranged to look like the symbol of 'Ankh', which represented life.

Not only upper class men and women wore high heels on special occasions but the Egyptian butchers also wore a type of high shoe that would allow them to walk above the blood and dirt of the dead animals. 

info sources: http://www.randomhistory.com/1-50/036heels.html