The Tracks Of Time
Archaeologists believe that they have discovered the perfectly preserved footprint of a Roman soldier. The find, at the site of the city of Hippo shows what is believed to be the imprint of a hobnailed caliga, the footwear used by soldiers (also the word from which the Roman Emperor Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus Germanicus, better known as Caligula ("Little Boots") got that nickname).
Archaeologists have uncovered a footprint made by a sandal-clad Roman soldier in a wall surrounding an ancient city in Israel that Jesus might have visited.
The print was made by a strappy, leather sandal of a type worn by the Roman military. Called caliga, the sandals of this time had iron hobnails hammered into their soles, which provided durability and traction as well as a weapon when kicking.
Other finds of the excavation project this summer at the ancient city of Hippos included the city's colonnaded street, extending 790 feet (240 meters), a marble-paneled bathhouse, a glass bottle with an embossed face and part of a statue of a Greek god. The archaeologists hope upcoming digs will reveal other pieces of the estimated 6.5-foot-high (2-meter) statue.
The sandal mark in the cement suggests the soldiers participated in the construction of the walls, the researchers say.
"This rare footprint, which is complete and well-preserved, hints at who built the walls, how and when," said researcher Michael Eisenberg of the Zinman Institute at the University of Haifa.
A photo of the footprint is here. A pretty unusual find. Although I suppose it must have been as hard back then to keep the kids out of the wet concrete. Archaeologists are hoping to unearth the entire city of Hippo, which was destroyed by and earthquake in 749 AD.
By old_dawg, Thursday, 23 August , 2007 @ 2:04 pm
OK, so they found Bigfoot. Where is the Loch Ness Monster?