VM_365 Day 255 Roman Hobnails in a grave from Ramsgate

VM 255

Today’s image for Day 255 of the VM_365 project follows on from yesterday’s journal post about the late 3rd to early 4th century burial at Ramsgate. It shows one of the best preserved of the 29 hobnails excavated from the grave along with a location plan of where they were found.

It is not clear  if all the hobnails survived and, as the grave had been heavily disturbed by plant roots, it was not possible to determine the exact pattern of hobnails. Two groups of hobnails were identified presumably representing two seperate shoes which may have been worn by the young adult female when she was buried.

Hobnails were used to prolong the life of footwear which was usually made entirely of leather and to give them a better grip on the floor surface.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *