Archaeologists excavating the Magna Roman Fort near Hadrians Wall in England have uncovered a remarkable collection of ancient shoes, including a surprising number of extra-large sizes — adding an intriguing dimension to what is already one of the richest Roman shoe collections in the world.

The Vindolanda Charitable Trust, best known for its ongoing excavation and preservation work at nearby Roman Vindolanda, has documented over 5,000 footwear finds spanning baby booties, ornate sandals, and rugged marching boots. Now, a five-year dig at Magna, funded in part by The National Lottery Heritage Fund, is adding to that record with a new set of 32 shoes unearthed in the forts northern defensive ditches, the Roman Army Museum and Magna Fort said in a news release.

Thanks to the low-oxygen conditions in the ancient ditch deposits, the leather artifacts were preserved in exceptional condition. The standout discovery was a 32.6 cm (12.8-inch) shoe — roughly a U.K. mens size 13/14 or U.S. men’s size 16 — making it the largest in the Trusts collection to date.

In total, eight of the Magna shoes measured 30 cm (11.8 inches) or more, with a quarter of the current Magna finds classed as “XX-large.” Thats a striking contrast to the shoe finds at Vindolanda, where only 0.4% reach that size, and the average shoe length falls between 24–26 cm (9.4–10.2 inches).

“I think there is something very different going on here at Magna, even from this small sample uncovered it is clear that these shoes are much larger on average than most of the Vindolanda collection,” said Elizabeth Greene, Associate Professor at the University of Western Ontario and Vindolandas shoe specialist. “Although we are comparing this new Magna collection which has not yet gone through the conservation process with the Vindolanda shoes that have, even taking into account a maximum shrinkage of up to 1cm/10mm, it still means these shoes are very large indeed.”

The collection also includes footwear for women and children, underscoring the forts population diversity. But the abundance of outsized shoes is raising new questions about who lived and served at Magna, which housed Roman auxiliary troops.

“Organic finds like this are some of the most precious to come from our sites, which capture the imagination of visitors and volunteers alike, but they are also the most at risk from our changing climate,” said Rachel Frame, Senior Archaeologist at the Magna Project. “There is much more to discover about the people who lived at Magna and to understand about the impact climate change is having on this hugely important historical resource.”

The Magna excavation is part of a broader effort to preserve and understand the life and landscape along Hadrians Wall, and the new shoe finds offer not just a tangible connection to the people who once walked there — but a fresh reminder of whats still buried beneath our feet.

“This really shows us what is at risk if climate change continues to rob us of such vital information,” said Andrew Birley, the Trusts CEO and Director of Excavations. “It reminds us that not every population was the same, that wide variations between the regiments and people who served along Hadrians Wall, could be cultural and physical. Without artifacts like these wonderful shoes from Magna and Vindolanda, it would be almost impossible to know information like this. We can only celebrate and marvel at the diversity and differences of these people if we can still see them in the archaeological data we gather today.”