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Thousands of shoes excavated from a Roman fort site are much more than a mere footnote to history.

The 7,000 shoes from Vindolanda, Northumberland, help to reveal the make up of the population of the base on Hadrian’s Wall.

“We can work out broadly how many men, women and children we have from their shoes,” said director of excavations Dr Andrew Birley.

“We have no other way of getting the information the shoes give us. They are a wonderful resource.

“We have found baby boots in rooms in barracks, which shows that there was a child there at some point in time. There is no other way of detecting that.”

(Image: Aerial-Cam Ltd)

This year’s dig, which started in April, began by investigating a fort ditch dating from 208-2012AD. That ditch produced 474 shoes.

Buy why so many?

Part of the answer is that when garrisons moved to a new posting, they had to walk – sometimes to Continental Europe.

“They would often have to walk huge distances, which is difficult for us to comprehend, with our lifestyle today,” said Andrew.

“We can’t comprehend that way of life. It seems incredible to us.

“They would only take what they could carry. When stationed at their fort they would have been buying new stuff but they couldn’t take most of it with them.

“They tended to throw a lot of items into the fort ditch, with the result that the ditches tend to be the most exciting places to excavate.”

Into the ditches at Vindolanda with the shoes went pottery, wooden objects, dead horses, and pets like puppies and kittens.

“There was no way of looking after such animals on the march,” said Andrew.

The shoes would have been custom-made for individuals.

(Image: Handout)

Very few pairs have been found. When a shoe became worn or damaged, a replacement would have been ordered from the shoe maker in the same style.

The shoes have allowed archaeologists to track changing Roman footwear fashion.

In the early years of the Roman occupation, the military-style hobnail boot was the norm but later they went out of fashion and in came male shoes with lots of flowery decorations and laces.

“By the end of the Second Century you are getting shoes which are the Roman equivalent of the winkle picker,” said Andrew.

When shoes are unearthed, the leather is black. But many shoes would originally have been dyed, with coloured laces.

Among the shoes that been found are carbatina – slipper-like footwear for indoor wear to avoid bringing in mud from the outside.

Vindolanda is working with Teesside University to carry out tests on the shoes to investigate which animals provided the leather and if they were local or if the material was imported.

Other finds so far this year have included a black jasper gemstone from a ring, with the image of a diety, which would have indicated the religion of the wearer.

“This is an expensive little item which has popped out of the ring and ended up in the street,” said Andrew. Among the wooden objects is a grain scoop from the fort stables.

Also excavated is a large clay oven and a series of small cookhouses which probably catered for the garrison and the builders of Hadrian’s Wall.

(Image: Handout)

Another dig has shown that what was the home of the Prince Bishops of Durham for centuries was once on a grander scale than had been realised.

The excavation on land at the 900-year old Auckland Castle has provided an insight into the medieval building’s architectural structure and history.

Durham University’s Archaeological Services has been working with more than 70 volunteers from regional charity Auckland Castle Trust to excavate the site of a new museum extension in the area of the castle’s Scotland Wing

One of the discoveries has been the location of the western and southern sides of the castle’s curtain wall, revealing the imprint of a network of impressive buildings, pointing to a significantly larger original structure than the present layout.

This suggests that Auckland Castle was not created as a manor house for the Prince Bishops as previously thought, but that it has always been a large castle complex.

This is supported by the discovery of a pillared gatehouse area and evidence of a majestic staircase, thought to date to the 13th or 14th Centuries.

An additional long room has also been unearthed, with its four large fireplaces indicating that it was once a busy kitchen serving Auckland Castle.

These impressive spaces would have befitted the palace of the Prince Bishop, one of the most powerful men in the country after the King.

The dig has helped to build up a picture of life at Auckland Castle - particularly in the time of Anthony Bek, who served as Bishop of Durham from 1283-1311, and was a key figure in medieval England.

His tenure at Auckland Castle saw the palace developed to match his status.

Peter Carne, manager of Archaeological Services Durham University, said: “The building works at Auckland Castle have enabled an unprecedented amount of archaeological excavation and research into the castle and its grounds.

“By piecing together the surviving foundations, it is possible to reconstruct the plan of the castle in the medieval period, and how it has been adapted and changed through the following centuries. The massive scale and importance of the castle in the past has really become apparent.”

The excavations will help Auckland Castle Trust piece together the story of the building and share it with the public following a £17m restoration of Auckland Castle.

Dr Christopher Ferguson, curatorial director for Auckland Castle, said: “We’re really excited to have uncovered such a major finding, revealing the original scale of the castle, which was much larger than was previously known.”