Museum Explorer
Dress and ornament
in Roman Britain
Child's shoe
From: the site of the Bank of England, London
Date: 1st or 2nd century AD
This small shoe probably belonged to a child. It is made of leather and has a sturdy hob-nailed sole.
Many kinds of shoes were worn in the Roman world, from tough workmen's shoes and hobnailed soldiers' sandals to finely-made, expensive slippers. Because leather rots, most Roman shoes have not survived, but this shoe was kept preserved in waterlogged ground.
