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Details
LOT 0634
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.
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