This leather shoe survived 2,000 years... and reveals a soldier with the feet of a giant…

They say the human race has generally gotten taller and bigger with time, although that theory doesn’t appear to apply to one Roman soldier who was stationed near Hadrian’s Wall in what used to be Britannia, it has been discovered.

Last month, a team from the Roman Army Museum excavated the defensive ditches around Magna, which was a Roman fort in the vicinity of Hadrian’s Wall, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in the north of England.

Although Hadrian’s Wall is often referred to as such, it has never acted as a border between England and Scotland, lying entirely in England. It was, though, built to secure the northern frontier of the Roman Empire in Britannia (now the majority of England and Wales) from invaders, particularly against the Caledonians (the people of what is now Scotland).

Vast numbers of soldiers were stationed near the Wall and nearby forts, one of whom was distinctive for his unusually large, size 15 feet.

How a shoe stayed in intact for 2,000 years

The recent excavation found two leather shoes, both of which are thought to have survived for around 2,000 years thanks to the anaerobic properties of the mud in the area, which stops certain materials from breaking down completely.

That said, the first shoe had had a toe snapped off, making it difficult to determine its size. However, the full sole of a second shoe was discovered, with the excavation team revealing “the sheer size of the shoe and guesses about who could have worn it dominated the conversation”.

The Roman Army Museum measured the shoe at 32cm long, which is the equivalent of UK men’s size 12-14 in modern footwear, or a size 15 in the U.S.

Inscriptions at Magna reveal that Syrian archers and Dalmation infantry populated the fort at different times, although Roman military units are most likely to have provided the large-footed individual who wore the shoes.

Other findings shed light into Roman life

Researchers have also found a fine-toothed wooden comb, pieces of pottery, wooden tent pegs, beads and even a marble make-up palette as they look to shed light into life on the Roman frontier two millennia ago.

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