Archaeologists excavating at Magna, or Carvoran, a Roman fort near Hadrian’s Wall in Northumberland, England, have uncovered an amazing treasure trove of ancient leather shoes—many of them unusually large.
Of the 32 shoes unearthed in the northern defensive ditches of Magna, 25 percent are more than 30 centimeters (11.8 inches) long, including a record-breaking 32.6 cm (12.8 inch) sole—the biggest yet recorded in the Vindolanda Trust’s vast collection of Roman shoes.
The Magna excavation is part of a five-year research project led by the Vindolanda Charitable Trust with funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund. It is just 11 kilometers west of Vindolanda, which is famous for holding an extensive collection of well-preserved artifacts, including over 5,000 ancient shoes. Whereas the collection at Vindolanda ranges from baby booties to military boots, a total of 0.4% of its 3,704 measurable shoes are over 30 cm long. Magna’s findings reveal something different, though, with many extra-extra-large (XXL) shoes.
The boots were recovered from oxygen-poor, waterlogged conditions at the base of Magna’s deep “ankle-breaker” trenches—defense ditches designed to trip and injure enemies. These anaerobic conditions are ideal for the preservation of organic materials like leather, and thus the find was made possible almost 2,000 years later.
Dr. Elizabeth Greene, Associate Professor at the University of Western Ontario and a specialist on Roman footwear, said: “Even from this small sample uncovered, it is clear that these shoes are much larger on average than most of the Vindolanda collection. Although we are comparing this new Magna collection, which has not yet gone through the conservation process, even taking into account a maximum shrinkage of up to 1 cm (10 mm), it still means these shoes are very large indeed.”
Magna fort, predating the construction of Hadrian’s Wall, housed a diverse military population consisting of Syrian archers, Dalmatians, Batavians, and legionaries from the Second Augusta and Twentieth Valeria Victrix legions. The variety of shoe sizes may indicate physical differences among these regiments or perhaps different provisioning or cultural practices.
Rachel Frame, Senior Archaeologist at the Magna Project, emphasized the importance of such organic finds: “They capture the imagination of visitors and volunteers alike, but they are also the most at risk from our changing climate.” She emphasized how important continued support is for preserving these artifacts.
Dr. Andrew Birley, Director of Excavations and CEO of the Vindolanda Trust, commented in a statement, “This really shows us what is at risk if climate change continues to rob us of such vital information. It reminds us that not every population was the same, and that wide variations between the regiments and people who served along Hadrian’s Wall could be cultural and physical.”
More information: Roman Arm Museum & Magna Fort
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Great info & well presented! Looking forward to next posting. Glad I found you!
Wish I would have continued my love for discovery, found in archeology. To this day, I am captured with our past and wish I could have been able to discover our previous history. How wonderful it must have been to find such treasures, preserved until now. Saved beneath the oceans and have their history waiting to be discovered. What a thrill that had to be! The stories that they can tell us now. and give us a picture of our forgotten past. My hope is that man, will still continue to delve in what was, and not forgotten.
It’s NEVER too late to fulfill this dream Olivia! You are the architect of your own life!
Loving reading this,so interesting and exciting.
In the past it was theorized that the average height of a Roman was 5 ft 4 in tall. A man wearing a shoe size of 12.8 in must have been a giant. Were the Romans using foreign mercenaries in their ranks who were much bigger than the Roman soldiers?
A giant to them. My shoe length is 12 in, and I am 6 foot.
That normal foot size for the time, back in the early 70″s when i was 16 iam 5,9 and a size 10″ wide shoe, i was short the 12 grader many were 6 feet +. Now iam consider tall the average when down to 5.7
Maybe they were used as a short of “overshoe” to be worn over existing shoes or foot wrappings?
Perhaps all of the marching stretched their feet out. I used to take a size eight shoe until I was forty. I began running to lose weight at age forty two. I lost the weight, but my shoe size went up to a size ten. I have to say that I ran twenty eight marathons, countless shorter races between marathon and four miles. This continued until I was sixty eight and I believe pouring the pavements was responsible for my enlarged feet.
Fascinating stuff. I wonder if “climate change” is the explanation – the change in climate between Rome and Northumberland! Some clever woman may have realized that nice, thick sheepskin “socks” would be just the thing to keep the feet warm. Do the shoes have greater width and height as well as greater length?
On a very similar theme, Raewyn, I thought these could be winter shoes made for thick, thick woollen socks.
Does the structure of the leather look ‘normal’ – eg could it simply be that conditions have swelled all the organic material?
Maybe they were made larger to make room for possibly insulating the feet with fur or other materials for warmth ?
The uniformity of the stitching holes in the upper look modern made. Please explain.
“look” modern made to you ? But not to an archaeologist…
This is not so perplexing. I’m of Italian descent and study Roman history as part of my heritage. I’m also a retired U.S. Marine grunt combat veteran. The Romans were a predominantly Mediterranean culture accustomed to warm, balmy weather. They did NOT like cold weather, whether it was Britain or the northern borders around Germania. These oversized shoes were most likely overshoes to be worn over their usual Caligae sandals while also wearing one or more layers of wool socks or footwraps made from their wool Focale scarves. They overshoes probably weren’t worn while marching but would have been worn when on watch while standing in one place as sentries on the walls and towers of their fort for hours on end in the freezing cold. The Romans were an adaptable and resourceful culture. They incorporated anything they found useful from the people and cultures they conquered. It was very much a part of their success. At the same time, elements of their culture sere sometimes cast aside when it was practical. Romans did NOT wear full length trousers. Instead, they sometimes wore knee length shorts or calf length Capri-style britches (braccae). It was normally considered effeminate for Roman males to wear anything resembling full length trousers that were worn by despised barbarian peoples. That attitude changed while stationed in the cold climates of northern Europe. Troops will do whatever is necessary to survive.