Unearthing Vindolanda: Rare Roman Footwear Makes North American Debut
TORONTO, April 14, 2026 — This spring, the Bata Shoe Museum invites visitors to walk in the footsteps of the ancient world. This has to be one of their most interesting exhibitions to date! Imagine wearing wooden clogs to your next spa visit!
Opening May 7, 2026, Unearthing Vindolanda: Footwear from the Edge of the Roman Empire brings an extraordinary archaeological discovery to North America for the very first time. Presented in partnership with the Vindolanda Trust, the exhibition features more than 100 artifacts unearthed from the famed Roman site of Vindolanda—including remarkably preserved leather shoes nearly 2,000 years old.
Set along Hadrian’s Wall in northern England, Vindolanda was once a bustling Roman frontier fort at the edge of the empire. Occupied from around 85 CE for over three centuries, it served as a vital military outpost—but as this exhibition reveals, it was far more than that.
Visitors will be transported into the daily lives of the people who lived, worked, and raised families in this remote settlement. Thanks to the site’s unique soil conditions, hundreds of delicate leather shoes have survived where organic materials typically decay—offering an unprecedented glimpse into the past.
“Vindolanda offers one of the most vivid and intimate windows into everyday life in the Roman world,” says Elizabeth Semmelhack, Director and Senior Curator of the Bata Shoe Museum. “These shoes connect us directly to the individuals who wore them—from soldiers to civilians, including women and children—revealing how identity, craftsmanship, and culture shaped life nearly two millennia ago.”
Excavations led by the Vindolanda Trust have uncovered an astonishing range of personal objects, but the footwear collection stands apart as one of the most significant ever discovered from the Roman era. Each shoe tells a story—of movement, status, and survival on the empire’s distant frontier.
“The Vindolanda Trust is delighted to collaborate on this landmark exhibition,” says Barbara Birley, Curator at Vindolanda Museum. “We hope it will spark curiosity and inspire visitors to connect with the rich and complex legacy of Roman Britain.”
Among the exhibition’s most surprising revelations is the presence of footwear belonging to women and children—challenging long-held assumptions that frontier forts were occupied almost exclusively by soldiers. Instead, the finds paint a vivid picture of a thriving, diverse community living at the very edge of the Roman world.
“It’s impossible to talk about Roman shoes without mentioning Vindolanda,” says Elizabeth Greene, Associate Professor of Classics and Canada Research Chair at Western University. “As the largest collection of Roman footwear ever discovered, it offers invaluable insight into ancient fashion, trade, and the everyday lives of people we now know through the shoes they left behind.”
Enhancing the exhibition experience, Greene’s new book, The Roman Footwear from Vindolanda, will be released on April 15, 2026, and available at the Museum.
Running through September 2027, Unearthing Vindolanda will also feature a dynamic lineup of public programs, including lectures, workshops, and special events designed to bring the stories of Rome’s northern frontier vividly to life.
Step in—and discover history from the ground up.
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