A Roman Big Foot? Giant Shoes Found At Roman Fort Baffle Scientists
A collection of unusually large Roman shoes has been discovered at a fort in Northumberland, leaving archaeologists baffled.
A total of 32 ancient leather shoes were recently excavated from Magna Roman Fort, near Hadrian’s Wall, as part of a five-year project funded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund. Among them were eight shoes measuring 30cm (11.8in) or more—equivalent to a modern UK shoe size 13 to 14.
Eight shoes from Magna are now recorded as 30cm or over in length and this includes one which holds the current record for being the Trust’s largest shoe at 32.6cm long. From the shoes uncovered to date at Magna 25% are classed as xx-large (30cm+). In comparison, of the shoes uncovered at nearby Vindolanda, and of which the size can be determined, only 0.4% of shoes are in the same category, with the average shoe size being a smaller 24-26cm in length.
The shoes were found in waterlogged, low-oxygen conditions within the fort’s northern defensive ditch, which also served as a Roman-era rubbish dump. The damp environment helped preserve organic material such as leather.
The largest of the shoes measured 32.6cm (12.8in), making it the biggest Roman shoe in the Vindolanda Trust’s entire collection.
Dr Elizabeth Greene, Associate Professor at the University of Western Ontario is Vindolanda’s shoe specialist and has seen and measured every shoe in the Vindolanda collection.
Yet even she is at a loss to explain why the shoes are bigger at Magna.
Greene commented, “I think there is something very different going on here at Magna, even from this small sample uncovered it is clear that these shoes are much larger on average than most of the Vindolanda collection”. Dr Greene noted that “although we are comparing this new Magna collection which has not yet gone through the conservation process with the Vindolanda shoes that have, even taking into account a maximum shrinkage of up to 1cm/10mm, it still means these shoes are very large indeed.”
The footwear found ranges from baby booties and sandals to heavy marching boots, providing a glimpse into the lives of the men, women and children who once lived at this remote Roman outpost.
The Magna excavation continues, with more discoveries expected in the months ahead.