Caligae Nails Discovered in the Southern Necropolis of Hadrianopolis

Abstract

Shoes have been an essential component of clothing throughout human history, emerging from the need to protect and cover the body against environmental conditions. Since humans discovered clothing, they sought ways to shield their feet from external factors, ultimately leading to the invention. Shoes not only protect the feet of human beings from external conditions, but over time, it has been the main indicator of many positions such as social status, nationality, profession, and rank. Again, in the Roman Empire, footwear served not only utilitarian purposes but also acted as significant cultural markers reflecting individuals’ social and economic standing. This study focuses on sandal nails discovered during archaeological excavations in the Southern Necropolis of Hadrianopolis, located within the borders of the Eskipazar district of Karabük province. The necropolis, situated on the rocky terrain of Balkayası to the south of the Four Rivers Church, has been the site of systematic excavations since 2018. Various types of tombs have been documented in this calcareous area, which was continuously used during the Roman and Byzantine periods. To date, 286 rock-cut tombs have been identified. Notably, during the 2020–2021 excavation seasons, a total of 149 sandal nails were unearthed from the tombs numbered M-46, M-63, M-84, and M-116. Frequently encountered in excavations of ancient settlements, these nails are considered to be associated with caligae, the Roman military sandal. The nails have been based on archaeological contexts and stratigraphic data of the graves in which they were found, and their functional and symbolic roles within ancient funerary traditions are evaluated.

It is declared that scientific and ethical principles were complied with during the preparation of this study and all the works referred are mentioned in the bibliography.

The Author(s) declare(s) that there is no conflict of interest.