The piece is over 2000 years old. ‘What have the Romans ever done for us?’ asked the characters in the famous Monty Python film, ‘Life of Brian.’ And the truth is that, apart from wine, democracy, roads, aqueducts, clothing and some types of footwear, they did many things that we continue to use in today’s society. The culture of Rome from over 2000 years ago continues to be the origin of the Europe we know today, and every time something related to it is found, it always makes the news. Now, an interesting and curious piece has just been discovered that has left archaeologists rather perplexed, especially because of its good state of preservation and extraordinary size.
A LeBron James in Roman times
The discovery was made while archaeologists were working on the Vindolanda Trust project to excavate the Roman fort of Magna in northern England. The excavation began on the outside, proceeding towards the main fort, which led to the discovery of defensive ditches in that outer ring. This research unearthed pottery and other small objects, but what really surprised the team was the appearance of three 2,000-year-old leather shoes still intact, including one measuring 32 centimetres long.
‘It immediately caused amazement among the volunteers and staff,’ wrote Rachel Frame, chief archaeologist of the excavation project, in the project diary.
The first shoe appeared to be intact as it retained all layers of the sole, as well as part of the heel and most of the nails in the outer sole. “This gives us a very clear idea of how Roman shoes were made: multiple layers of leather were used to form the sole, joined together with tacks, stitching and nails. These also reinforced the outer surface for walking and are found in many styles of footwear,” Frame said.
Another of the shoes was cut at the front, which made it impossible to estimate its original size. But what was a big surprise for everyone was the one found at the bottom of an ankle-breaking ditch designed to trap soldiers. The ancient shoe found in the ditch measured approximately 32 centimetres from heel to toe. This is comparable to the foot of one of today’s NBA stars, LeBron James, who wears a size 15 shoe in that country (a 49-50 in Europe).
