Leather boot fragment
DERSB : 5368
Fragment of a leather boot found at Melandra, Gamesley, 70-140CE.
These are fragments of Roman leather boots called ‘caligae’. Organic materials such as leather decay quickly, which is why only the thick soles have survived. Caligae looked like heavy sandals: the upper was open to prevent blisters and other foot problems. Roman soldiers needed strong boots because they marched long distances. Iron hob nails were hammered through the sole preventing them from wearing down and to provide better grip.
In around 70CE, the Romans built a fort near modern-day Gamesley, Glossop. This fort controlled the east-west route across the southern Pennines. The fort contained barracks, store rooms, granaries, a commanding officer’s house, and a headquarters building. A bathhouse, with under floor heating, was built just outside the fort. The presence of the soldiers attracted local people who set up houses and shops outside the walls.
The first fort was built in timber in around 70CE. About 40 years later soldiers from the First Frisiavones Cohort, recruited from Germany, rebuilt the fort in stone. They were joined by soldiers of the Third Cohort Bracara Augustini, recruited from modern-day Portugal.
The Roman name for the fort may have been Ardotalia, from Celtic words meaning ‘the place of the high dark hill’. Today the site is known as Melandra. This name may have been given to it by John Watson, rector of Stockport and antiquarian, who studied the area in the 1770s.
Additional information
- Rights: Creative Commons CC BY-NC 4.0 Buxton Museum and Art Gallery (part of Derbyshire County Council)
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