Overview

• Excavators at Fort Magna recovered an exceptional collection of leather shoes from a rubbish ditch near Hadrian’s Wall, preserved by low-oxygen soils for nearly 2,000 years.
• About 25 percent of the shoes measure Roman size 49 compared with just 0.4 percent at a nearby site, marking a significant size anomaly.
• The team has completed detailed cataloguing and comparative measurements to refine potential wearer profiles.
• Radiocarbon dating with leather-specific techniques is now under way to establish the precise chronology and provenance of the footwear.
• Experts expect initial results by the end of 2025, which could confirm whether the shoes belonged to Syrian archers, a Croatian regiment or other imperial units.