Posted on 07/14/2025 1:25:49 PM PDT by Red Badger
Archaeologists working at the Magna Roman Fort in northern England have made a series of huge discoveries, in the very literal sense.
Recent excavations at the ancient Roman fortification have unearthed several examples of gigantic shoes, with one representing what could be among the largest examples of historic footwear ever found.
The unusual discoveries are offering researchers fresh new insights into the diversity of the people who worked along Hadrian’s Wall close to 2,000 years ago.
A Gigantic Discovery The discoveries are among the latest that have made their way into the Vindolanda Charitable Trust’s remarkable collection, with similar examples of Roman footwear already numbering close to 5,000 shoes unearthed from the nearby Roman Vindolanda site.
From 2000-year-old baby shoes to more rugged footwear worn by Roman soldiers, the archaeological discoveries made at the site offer researchers a unique glimpse at the connections between everyday items in the lives of men, women, and children from the Roman frontier.
However, the recent discovery of one extremely large Roman shoe at the dig site came as an unexpected addition to the growing collection of Roman footwear archaeologists are uncovering.
Excavations at Magna Fort Throughout the summer dig season at Magna Fort, around 32 preserved Roman shoes have been uncovered. These artifacts were preserved in large part thanks to the low-oxygen, semi-anaerobic conditions in the surrounding soil.
However, the team quickly realized that some of the discoveries they were unearthing weren’t the usual kind their past excavations had yielded. In particular, a massive leather shoe sole discovered by the team in mid-May was so large that it reportedly caused gasps among the archaeologists as it was removed from the surrounding soil.
“There was no doubt about the size of the second shoe we recovered from the very base of the ditch, was intact from toe to heel and immediately drew impressed gasps from volunteers and staff alike,” read a Magna Dig Diary entry on the 21st of May written by Rachel Frame, Senior Archaeologist at the site.
gigantic shoes
One of the largest among the gigantic shoes unearthed at Magna Fort, which measures 32.5 cm (Image Credit: The Vindolanda Trust).
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Frame added that “the sheer size of the shoe and guesses about who could have worn it dominated the conversation.” The sole was measured to be 32 cm long, which is comparable to a UK men’s size 12-14 in modern footwear. While not particularly uncommon today, an individual with a shoe size that large walking among the Romans working at Hadrian’s Wall 2000 years ago would likely have seemed gigantic indeed.
The massive shoe is currently one of the largest in the Trust’s collection. More remarkable still is that it wasn’t the only example of super-sized early Roman footwear the team would unearth.
More gigantic Shoes Are Discovered
As the initial discovery of the Roman “giant” shoe attracted significant attention among archaeologists at Magna Fort, soon more discoveries began to follow. Altogether, researchers at the site say they have now uncovered eight shoes that all measure 30 cm or greater, with one 32.6 cm specimen topping out as the largest now held in the Trust’s growing collection of ancient footwear.
By comparison, most of the shoes previously found at the site measure between just 24 and 26 cm, with recent larger examples representing less than half a percent of the shoes excavated at Vindolanda.
“I think there is something very different going on here at Magna,” said Dr. Elizabeth Greene, a shoe specialist for the Trust and Associate Professor at the University of Western Ontario, who added that, “it is clear that these shoes are much larger on average than most of the Vindolanda collection”.
Noting the unusual nature of the recent finds, Greene added that “even taking into account a maximum shrinkage of up to 1 cm/10 mm, it still means these shoes are very large indeed.”
VIDEO AT LINK............
Trouble ‘Afoot’ for Future Discoveries?
Greene and her colleagues believe the diversity seen in the Magna shoe collection may reflect a mix of cultural, physical, and possibly even regional differences among the regiments stationed along the Wall.
However, recent concerning climate events could spell trouble for future excavations, meaning that important information about the ancient way of life at sites like Magna Fort could potentially be lost before archaeologists are able to collect information from these locations.
Dr Andrew Birley, the Trust’s CEO and Director of Excavations, said in a statement that the recent discoveries at the site “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, that wide variations between the regiments and people who served along Hadrian’s Wall, could be cultural and physical,” Birley said.
“Without artefacts like these wonderful shoes from Magna and Vindolanda, it would be almost impossible to know information like this,” Birley added. “We can only celebrate and marvel at the diversity and differences of these people if we can still see them in the archaeological data we gather today”.
Micah Hanks is the Editor-in-Chief and Co-Founder of The Debrief. He can be reached by email at micah@thedebrief.org. Follow his work at micahhanks.com and on X: @MicahHanks.
According the Grok, a sandal that is 32.5 centimetres is averaging 7’1” in height, but he might be up to 8’2” in height.
A human with feet requiring sandals of 32.5 cm would likely be approximately 216–217 cm tall (about 7 feet 1 inch), with a range of roughly 203 cm to 250 cm (6 feet 8 inches to 8 feet 2 inches) depending on individual proportions.
I seem to recall that one of the Roman historians described northern peoples as being taller than the Romans.
“...concerning climate events...”
There seems no end to what can be blamed on ‘climate change’, even if it hasn’t happened yet...
Nephilim is a general term used in Scripture to point out satan’s attempt to corrupt the blood line that would produce Jesus Christ. Goliath was a Philistine mentioned in the book of Samuel. Goliath was of Nephilim lineage.
Sasquatch lived it in the uk?
Roman Emperor Thrax was said to be 8 feet tall.
I understand your perception of why Noah built the Arch for 150 years on the demand of God. Noah was a great man, but shortly after the flood subsided, Noah sinned again. It’s just our way. Concerning Goliath though, it doesn’t preclude the fact that Satan would have stopped trying to corrupt the bloodline of Jesus by returning to what his angels did prior to the flood. I would love you have a Bible study with you as you seem to be a sincere Christian.
😊
With a size 22 shoe, Shaq must be a giant among Nephilim!
Ronald McDonald ancestor?
Oh, I’m pretty clear on the chronology. Wasn’t the Flood supposed to eliminate those of impure blood? Didn’t the Flood predate David’s little dust-up with Goliath? I wonder if David honed his sling skills by hunting dinosaurs.
From an ancient precursor to “Dress Like a Barn”.
He has a wife, you know...
😁
😆
EXCELLENT RB!!! (Actually had to process it... ‘I didn’t know Ed Sullivan had such big feet’... And then....)
Short people got no reason
Short people got no reason
Short people got no reason to live
They got little hands
Little eyes
They walk around tellin' great big lies
They got little noses
And tiny little teeth
They wear platform shoes
On their nasty little feet
I don't want no short people
Don't want no short people
Don't want no short people 'round here
Perhaps they were theatrical props.
I wear an 11.5. The soles are 32cm. I just measured them.
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