WALDMÖSSINGEN, GERMANY—La Brújula Verde reports that German archaeologists unearthed a workshop in the district of Rottweil that specifically produced the iron nails for shoes worn by the Roman army. The standard-issue Roman military footwear, known as caligae, were part of every soldier’s essential gear. The soles of these heavy-duty leather sandal-boots were embedded with hobnails to provide traction and durability. During the course of their service, however, active soldiers would frequently lose or dislodge these from the bottom of their boots, and the nails would then have to be replaced. While investigating a large building at the site of a former military camp in Waldmössingen, a team from the State Office for Monument Preservation and the University of Freiburg uncovered more than 100 nails, each just one-half inch in length, that were in such mint condition that they appeared to have been freshly made and never used. Experts believe that the recently excavated building produced and stored these items at a large scale in order to resupply troops stationed along the Roman frontier during the first century a.d. To read about another item Roman soldiers couldn't go without, go to "Artifact: Roman Canteen."
