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9h ago

Record-Size Roman Shoes Unearthed at Hadrian’s Wall Fort

Researchers are now probing which soldiers and settlers wore the extra-large footwear found in Magna’s low-oxygen defensive ditches.

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ENGL
Ilustración fotorrealista de un zapato romano antiguo de cuero, ennegrecido por el lodo, sostenido por manos sucias de tierra frente a un fondo de excavación arqueológica en campo abierto, con cuadrantes delimitados y arqueólogos trabajando al fondo en Magna, cerca del Muro de Adriano

Overview

  • Archaeologists have recovered 32 leather shoes at Magna this year, with eight measuring 30 cm or more and a record-setting 32.6 cm sole.
  • The footwear survived in semianaerobic clay deposits of the fort’s northern defensive ditches, preserving organic materials for nearly two millennia.
  • Extra-large shoes account for 25 % of Magna’s finds versus just 0.4 % at nearby Vindolanda, where average lengths range between 24 and 26 cm.
  • Dr. Elizabeth Greene confirms that even after allowing for up to 1 cm of shrinkage during conservation, Magna’s shoes remain significantly larger than typical Roman sizes.
  • Analysis of wear patterns and the assortment of baby shoes, summer sandals and marching boots is underway to identify the ancient wearers and illuminate the garrison’s composition.