The Vindolanda Archaeological Leather Project – Dr Elizabeth Greene, Vindolanda Field School and Associate Professor of Roman Archaeology, University of Western Ontario

Elizabeth Greene is Associate Professor of Archaeology at the Western University of Western Ontario and is a Director and Research Specialist at the Vindolanda Field School.

Her interests include Roman archaeology and social history, Roman military, women and families in the Roman world, Roman shoes and leather industries and Latin epigraphy.

When visiting Vindolanda, you cannot fail to be impressed by the quality of leather artefacts on display and, in particular, the outstanding collection of Roman shoes which belonged to soldiers, women and children. The 80 shoes on display are but a fraction of the 6000 that have come from the excavations thus far.

A combination of factors aid the preservation and superb condition of the finds at Vindolanda. The main aid is that the ground has anaerobic conditions, which means that artefacts like leather, wood, textiles and writing tablets and metal objects survive in near perfect condition. After conservation they are stabilized and ready for research and display.

Elizabeth’s talk will tell us more about the fascinating work that she has been doing at Vindolanda on the Empire’s largest assemblage of Roman leather artefacts.