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LOT 0634

Sold for (Inc. bp): £1,300

ROMAN 'THAMES' LEATHER MARCHING SHOE SOLE GROUP
1ST-4TH CENTURY A.D.
8 7/8 - 9 5/8 in. (248 grams total, 22.5-24.5 cm).

With perforations for attachment to the shoe uppers through nails; one fragmentary. [2, No Reserve]

PROVENANCE:
Found by Steve Brooker on the Thames foreshore at Embankment, London, UK, 2001.
Property of a Nottinghamshire gentleman.

LITERATURE:
Cf. Trustees of the British Museum, Antiquities of the Roman Britain, London, 1964, p.11 fig.4, for similar, from London.

FOOTNOTES:
Waterlogged conditions on the Thames waterfront have created the oxygen-free environment needed for the survival of ancient organic artefacts. Among the studied or published Roman leatherwork from London, 89% is composed of footwear. The introduction of vegetable tanned leather and the expansion of ironworking were some of the major technological innovations of the Roman period; allowing the mass production of sturdy, hobnailed shoes.

CONDITION
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