Archaeologists in Spain were able to discover an ancient cleaner's missing shoe from 2,000 years ago.
Intricate Roman Sandal Found
The Roman sandal discovery was made during excavations of the Roman settlement of Lucus Asturum, which is Lugo de Llanera at present, in northern Spain. Using a pulley system, the researchers behind the excavation were able to access the deep well with stone linings. It was there that they were able to find intricate and elaborate Roman sandals covered in mud roughly three meters below the surface.
The sandals may have belonged to a cleaner. This person may have been cleaning the well when the sandal got stuck in a silt and ended up getting lost.
The intricacy and craftsmanship of the shoe left researchers impressed. The sandal's sole, in particular, was filled with ovals, loops, circles and other motifs. It is also made of dark brown leather material. The shoe's front also displays a negative stitching.
There are less than 20 Roman sandals that were preserved in Hispania. So far, this elaborate sandal is the only one with decorations on it.
Exceptional Preservation
It was the mud that kept the sandal exceptionally preserved, which is rare in this area especially since the artifact is made of organic material leather.
Principal archaeologist Esperanza Martín Hernández from Dolabra Arqueológica, who was the leader of the excavation, explains that in Spain and across the Roman Empire, it is rare to find organic material that is exceptionally preserved.
In the case of the Roman sandal, the researchers were handling a well that was used for a private house's water consumption. The sandal remained exceptionally preserved because of the deposit's anaerobic state. Because of the lack of oxygen in the deposit, the organic materials stayed intact for 2,000 years.
At present, the footwear is being refrigerated to avoid degradation until its restoration in the Archaeological Museum of Asturias.
Other Artifacts
The well also contained other artifacts, including seeds, shells, nuts, ceramic jars, a necklace, a small metal ring, a bronze vessel, and beads.
The archaeologists were also able to recover several landfill sites of the house. Because of this, they now have comprehensive knowledge regarding household goods. These include Gallic and Hispanic sigillata tableware, glass crockery, refractory dishes, fine South Gallic pottery with thin walls, local ceramics, common ware, coins, jewelry, and tools for working.
All these things enable the archaeologists to come up with a good reconstruction of the house back during the early imperial era.
While the house's exact inhabitants still remain a mystery, Martín Hernández explains that they may have been people with high purchasing power, as the recovered materials exhibit a high commerce level.
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