Ancient Roman shoes after discovered after being buried for 2,000 years
Volunteers were baffled recently when they unearthed not one but two ancient shoes at a historic British site.
The discoveries were made at Magna, an Ancient Roman fort in Northumberland, in late May. The Roman Army Museum, located near the fort in Brampton, made the announcement.
Photographs show volunteers holding the remarkably preserved leather shoes, which have maintained their form despite being buried for 2,000 years.
A volunteer named Jo found the first shoe, which 'seems to have all of its sole layers intact,' the organization said.
The shoe's heel area is still attached to it; its outer sole still contains hobnails. Officials said the find sheds light on how these shoes were crafted.
'This gives us a really good look at how Roman shoes were made: Multiple layers of leather were used to form the sole, held together with thongs [leather strips], stitching and hobnails,' the Roman Army Museum said.
5 Photographs show volunteers holding the remarkably preserved leather shoes.
Roman Army Museum
'These also reinforced the outer surface for walking and are found on many styles of shoe.'
Officials were unable to determine the size of the shoe, as a toe area was missing, but they said it 'would have been a large shoe when complete.'
The volunteer beamed about the find, telling officials that it 'really puts you in touch' with the Romans who lived at the fort.
5 The shoe's heel area is still attached to it; its outer sole still contains hobnails.
Roman Army Museum
'It's always exciting to find anything that hasn't been touched for 2,000 years, but a shoe is such a personal item,' said Jo, the volunteer.
Before long, another piece of footwear was found.
The second shoe was roughly equal to a U.S. men's size 14, which impressed the volunteers.
5 Officials were unable to determine the size of the shoe, as a toe area was missing.
Roman Army Museum
The find 'immediately drew impressed gasps' from volunteers and staff archaeologists, according to the museum.
'Although in this case [it was] only one of the several sole layers, the sheer size of the shoe and guesses about who could have worn it dominated the conversation,' the organization said.
'Measuring in at 32cm long, the equivalent of U.K. men's size 12-14 in modern footwear, could this one be the largest in the Vindolanda Trust collection? We certainly look forward to finding out!'
5 The find 'immediately drew impressed gasps' from volunteers and staff archaeologists, according to the museum.
Roman Army Museum
Volunteers also recently dug up pottery fragments, tent pegs and other rarities, but the shoes stole the show.
Magna is situated near Hadrian's Wall, a Roman wall designed to protect the northern border of the Britannia from the Picts.
5 The second shoe was roughly equal to a U.S. men's size 14, which impressed the volunteers.
Roman Army Museum
The fort was established around 80 A.D., predating Hadrian's Wall by a few decades.
Last month, a nearby fort made international headlines when a couple found an ancient depiction of a Roman goddess during another volunteer dig.
Fox News Digital reached out to Vindolanda Trust for additional information.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
8 hours ago
- Yahoo
Ceres in Astrology: How to Nurture & Heal Your Emotional Hunger
Ceres in Astrology: How to Nurture & Heal Your Emotional Hunger originally appeared on Parade. Ceres, an often overlooked asteroid in our natal charts, represents our nurturing qualities. It is named after the Roman goddess of seasonal harvest and abundant agriculture, who is also known by her Greek counterpart, Demeter. One of the most famous myths surrounding Demeter involves her daughter, Persephone, and this story sheds light on the deeper aspects of the mother wound that this placement can reveal in a person's birth chart. At our core, we all have a fundamental desire to seek care, comfort, and unconditional acceptance from our loved ones. Your deepest emotional needs are revealed through your Ceres placement. This placement offers valuable insights, suggestions, and spiritual guidance that can aid you on your healing journey. Continue reading to discover the significance of Ceres, the mythology surrounding this asteroid, and how your Ceres sign influences you. RELATED: Located between Mars and Jupiter, this asteroid is often overlooked. In astrology, asteroid Ceres is associated with: Nourishment (physically and emotionally) Food Gardening Environment Agriculture Caregiving Fertility Motherhood The cycle of grief, loss, and return (based on the Persephone myth) Self-care In ancient Roman mythology, Ceres was significantly influenced by the story of her daughter, Proserpina, known as Persephone in Greek mythology. One day, while Proserpina was picking flowers in her mother's lush fields, a chasm opened in the earth. From this chasm, the god Pluto, Hades, to the Greeks, abducted her. In her grief, Ceres neglected her duties over agriculture as she searched for her daughter. As a result, the land became barren, and crops ceased to grow. Ultimately, agreements were made, and Proserpina was allowed to spend half the year with her mother, Ceres, and the other half in the underworld with Pluto. When Ceres grieves for her lost daughter, winter descends upon the earth, halting the harvests. Symbolically, this myth reflects the emotional themes associated with Ceres in one's natal chart. Nourishment is essential to life, representing the celebratory harvests of love, affection, and warmth shared with our loved ones. However, other natural aspects of life are loss, grief, and healing. When we embrace this cyclical pattern, we find that, after processing disappointment or pain, there is potential for reunion—whether with the same person or others who align with our current life path. Trusting in the return of good allows you to nurture your inner garden with love, even during the darkest moments of winter. You can use this free online calculator to find your Ceres sign. For an accurate result, you will need your date, year, time, and birth location. In your birth or natal chart, your Ceres sign represents your caregiving style and needs, what brings you emotional comfort and repair. Deeper, it pulls on your heartstrings, showcasing emotional hunger, a longing hope to heal, and how you can begin to restore spiritual peace. From a young age, you learned that strength, independence, and autonomy were key to your emotional survival. With more attention and praise coming your way when being praised for self-sufficiency and leadership, you may have repressed your deeper needs or emotional expression. To heal, allow yourself to long for support. Ask for help, letting others show you they care in your most vulnerable moments. Trust in interdependence brings peace. You seek safety in tangible, physical things you can control, such as routines, touch, food, consistency, or self-indulgence. If, while growing up, you felt that your security was threatened or that emotional comfort was unpredictable, you might struggle with self-worth and find it difficult to believe you deserve to have your needs met by others. To heal from a scarcity mindset or the tendency to cling to what is familiar, it's important to slow down, pay attention to your body's cues, and embrace soft, vulnerable moments. You shouldn't have to hustle for love or hoard the care you receive; instead, let it flow. Those born with a Gemini Ceres need to let out their thoughts, feelings, and emotions through self-expression. You may have felt unheard in your upbringing, or that it was inconsistent to have full attention from a caregiver. Therefore, you may bite your tongue about important matters. To heal, speak your truth. Share your interests. Find those who are willing to consistently meet your communication needs. Those with a Cancer Ceres are born to be healers, spreading nurturing hope. However, their desire to uplift likely comes from a time in their upbringing where they felt emotionally left behind, abandoned, or overlooked. To heal, you likely need to give yourself the love you give others. Stop overwhelming yourself with others' needs before your own, understanding your inner emotional tides. Finding home within allows you to seek and find what you need to feel safe. Individuals with Ceres in Leo may feel that they only received the love and attention they needed when they were performing or going the extra mile to entertain others. Praise from important people in their lives may have often outweighed their actual presence. To heal, it's essential to seek validation from within rather than relying on external sources. Your inner child deserves the freedom to create, play, and explore simply for enjoyment, rather than to earn affection. Individuals with Ceres in Virgo show their nurturing nature through acts of service. However, they often need to engage in healing work to reconcile their inner critic, understanding that some things can be imperfectly perfect. You may have felt that your emotions were overlooked in favor of practicality, leading you to internalize care as something you give rather than something you deserve to receive. Remember, you deserve rest. It's important to let go of unrealistic expectations and recognize your worth beyond your productivity, work, or what you provide to others. Those born with Ceres in Libra have learned that maintaining peace is essential for their emotional safety and sense of acceptance. From a young age, you may have discovered the importance of prioritizing others' feelings over your own to preserve harmony, even at a high cost. To heal, it's crucial to prioritize yourself and acknowledge what you truly want from life. Remember to set boundaries when necessary, understanding that authentic love will accept your wholeness, even during moments of tension. A Scorpio Ceres craves deep, soulful connections that are unbreakable and forged through the darkest moments. Earlier in life, you may have internalized wounds of mistrust, vulnerability, or betrayal from others. To heal, it's important to acknowledge your fears, allow someone to truly get close to you, and stop testing how much others care. Building intimacy based on emotional courage instead of secrecy leads to lasting nurturance. Individuals with Ceres in Sagittarius are encouraged to slow down and ground themselves spiritually. You may have found comfort in freedom, especially when your emotional needs were overlooked or minimized. As a result, you might tend to run from your feelings, often distracting yourself by intellectualizing your emotions or constantly seeking external excitement. To truly heal, it's important to seek meaning in the long term, find stillness, and embrace vulnerability in your connections with others. Individuals with Ceres in Capricorn often feel pressured to take on excessive responsibility from a young age. As an old soul recognized for your maturity, you likely found yourself needing to maintain composure, often suppressing your emotions to focus on your sense of duty. To find healing, it's important to let go of the pressure to constantly perform. Remember, resting can be just as productive as working hard, and embracing vulnerability is a sign of strength. Individuals with Ceres in Aquarius often experience emotional unpredictability, distance, or barriers in their early relationships, which can make them more observant than feeling. They express love through practical gestures, ideas, and intellectual connections, but may struggle with the emotional complexities that come with deeper connections. To find healing, it's important to allow yourself to feel your emotions and be present in your body. By practicing self-compassion, you can discover deeper meaning in love beyond mere rational understanding. Ceres in Pisces denotes one who was born with intuitive, spiritual gifts. Their ability to heal, empathize, and provide an escape from life's aches and pains is commendable. However, your boundaries growing up may not have been encouraged or protected, leaving you overexposed to circumstances that were not your responsibility to fix. To heal, call your energy back to you. You deserve energetic limits, rituals that restore your spirit and soothe your personal pains. Ceres in Astrology: How to Nurture & Heal Your Emotional Hunger first appeared on Parade on Jun 23, 2025 This story was originally reported by Parade on Jun 23, 2025, where it first appeared.
Miami Herald
11 hours ago
- Miami Herald
Romans lay siege to Italian town centuries ago. Now, their weapons are recovered
Before the era of the Romans in southern Italy, the Messapii people crossed the Adriatic Sea and called the Italian peninsula home. They built a culture that lasted for nearly 800 years, but it was no match for the rise of Rome. Now, archaeologists working on the outskirts of the ancient city of Ugento have uncovered fortifications — and the weapons Romans left behind. Archaeologists working from April to June found the structural remains of Messapian city walls dating to the fourth and third centuries B.C., according to a June 19 news release and Facebook post from the Archaeological Mapping Laboratory, working with the Ministry of Culture. One segment stretches more than 200 feet long, officials said, and has three to four layers of the wall still preserved. Archaeologists identified two phases of construction: an earlier stage that created the foundation of the wall and a later stage where an external curtain of blocks was added, according to the release. Directly outside angular sections of wall, a layer of material was found that dates to the final years of the third century B.C., archaeologists said. When the layer was unearthed, researchers found more than 450 lead missile acorns, a type of small projectile, and nine iron dart tips, according to the release. These weapons belonged to the Roman army during their siege of Ugento, archaeologists said. The weapons were likely used in a Roman war machine, like a scorpio, which was essentially a large stationary crossbow that fired artillery. The dating of the weapons suggest they were used during the Hannibalic War, in 209 B.C., when the city of Ugento joined Hannibal to fight the Romans, researchers said. The Hannibalic War, also called the Second Punic War, ran for about 18 years between Carthage and Rome under the leadership of Hannibal based out of Spain, according to Britannica. Hannibal held power in southern Italy for a period of time, but the Romans eventually took the land and pushed Hannibal's forces out of Italy and Spain, and ordered him back to Africa, according to Britannica. Ugento fell siege to the Romans, and during the second and first centuries B.C., its defenses were incrementally dismantled and reused as quarry for new structures, archaeologists said. Ugento is in the southeastern peninsula of Italy, between the Adriatic and Ionian seas. Google Translate and Facebook Translate were used to translate the news release and Facebook post from the Archaeological Mapping Laboratory, respectively.
Miami Herald
15 hours ago
- Miami Herald
ChatGPT has the answers. Great leaders have the questions
ChatGPT has the answers. Great leaders have the questions Any time someone in the U.S. meets someone from the UK, one question reliably follows: "Where should I eat when I visit London?" It's meant to be friendly. Helpful. But it rarely lands. Are they into sticky bangers and mash or upscale fusion small plates? Traveling with toddlers? In-laws? Gluten-free? (And yes-for the record-British food isn't that bad anymore. They've mostly moved on from grey meat and boiled peas.) Still, it says something about the culture. In the U.S., advice is more than a suggestion-it's practically a greeting. And now, so does everyone else. The internet will flood you with will make it sound none of it will tell you what you actually need. We're not short on answers. What we're short on is space to think. In leadership especially, that space is everything. Because leadership isn't about having the best advice. ACT Leadership explains how leaders need to know when to ask a question with these four magic words: What do you think? The urge to help-and why it backfires When training leaders to become coaches, the number one challenge is: Letting go of the need to give advice. It's not just mental-it's literally cover their mouths to stop the words from spilling out. Rarely do more than 20% of leaders in training find this advice useful. Why? Because advice usually skips over the human and aims straight for the problem. You're not don't know what they've haven't gotten curious about how they think or what they care about. Advice feels efficient. But it often leaves people feeling misunderstood-and no closer to their own clarity. And what they appreciate most? Space to think out loud. Jane's big moment-and everyone else's advice Now imagine Jane. She's got a huge presentation coming up and finally admits to her manager that she's feeling anxious. "Go for a run beforehand," the manager says. "It always calms me down.""Picture the audience naked!" someone else adds."Deep breathing. Trust me-it's magic." All of it is well-meaning, but none of it nods politely but walks away feeling smaller. And deep down, you probably know what that nod "Thanks," followed by, "This isn't actually helping." As CEO and co-founder of NeuroLeadership Institute, David Rock, explains,advice can backfire. It threatens status. It makes people feel judged, not you meant as encouragement can land like condescension. What do you think? Leadership is about helping the lightbulb go off in someone else's what development is about-building others' capacity to solve problems, without relying on a person makes a connection for themselves. When insight comes from within, the brain literally fires differently. New pathways. Neural energy. This is the circuitry of confidence. As Donald Hebb's principle puts it: "What fires together, wires together." And nothing fires like your own insight. This is how we learn. And more importantly, it's how we grow. Dr. Robin Rose, professor at Brown University's School of Professional Studies, puts it beautifully in just four words: "What do you think?" Not "What should you do?"Not "Have you tried…?"Just that one, respectful, catalytic question. It's an invitation. A signal of trust. A belief in the other person's capability to figure things out-with a bit of space, support, and the dignity of ownership. As Ron Heifetz, author of "Leadership Without Easy Answers," writes: "The work of leadership is to put the responsibility for solving the problem back in the hands of the people with the problem." That's not avoidance. That's development. You can't grow someone else's muscles for can hand them a them. Encourage they have to lift. And in leadership, "What do you think?" might be the single most powerful weight in your hands. Leadership in a complex world This question matters more now than ever. We're living in a fast-moving, high-complexity world. The people closest to the challenge-your team-often have more context than you do. They know the customer. They see the details. They're in the work. If every decision runs through you, the system slows. They become dependent. You become overwhelmed. And often, you lose the customer. But when you create space for others to think for themselves? You build unlock free yourself up to….lead. The next time you're about to give advice, pause, and instead, try four simple words: "What do you think?" Ask ideas lightly-if at all. Because in a world where ChatGPT has the answers, great leaders have the questions. This story was produced by ACT Leadership and reviewed and distributed by Stacker. © Stacker Media, LLC.
