Archeologists baffled over ‘unusually large’ Roman shoes found in Northumberland fort

3 Jul 2025 • 6:50 PM MYT
The Independent
The Independent

The world’s most free-thinking newspaper

image is not available

  • Archaeologists unearthed unusually large 2,000-year-old Roman shoes, equivalent to a UK size 13 to 14, at Magna Roman Fort in Northumberland.
  • Eight leather shoes, each at least 30cm long, were discovered in a defensive ditch and were preserved due to low oxygen conditions in the soil.
  • Researchers are baffled by the large size of the shoes, speculating if it indicates taller people or those from a specific region lived there.
  • Separately, a well-preserved section of Watling Street, a 2,000-year-old Roman road, was unearthed in south-east London last year.
  • This 276-mile route, built shortly after the Roman invasion in AD 43, was a significant discovery that has redrawn the Roman road map in the capital.

IN FULL