A new research project is apparently kicking off regarding the lifestyle of the Roman Empire.
— Teesside University, UK — Teesside University and the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) under the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) organization,
will conduct research on leather products—their manufacture, distribution, trade, and use—within the Roman Empire, as well as their economic impact. The total research funding is set at around £1.3 million (approx. 2.2 billion KRW).
The project will be led by 'Gillian Taylor' from the School of Health and Life Sciences at Teesside University,
joined by Associate Professor Elizabeth M. Greene from Western University, Canada, famous for specializing in Roman-era footwear and leather artifacts.
They will be collaborating with institutions like University College London, the University of North Carolina (USA), the National Museum of Scotland, the National Museum of Antiquities (Netherlands), and the Vindolanda Trust.
(Quote) Elizabeth Greene is in charge of the Vindolanda Archaeological Leather Project (VALP) and has been excavating at Vindolanda for over 20 years.
(Quote) The Vindolanda Trust is a non-profit foundation responsible for the excavation, management, and research of Roman fort ruins.
Key research areas include Roman forts and settlements such as:
1. Vindolanda 2. Trimontium (Scotland) 3. Valkenburg / Vechten (Netherlands). They will also analyze Roman-era leather artifacts in collaboration with parties in Syria.
(Quote) Vindolanda has yielded approximately 8,000 diverse Roman-era leather items unearthed so far, and regular excavation work is still ongoing.
This project will conduct simultaneous investigations in multiple Roman settlement/fort locations.
By integrating ZooMS (protein analysis), advanced DNA technology, and existing historical/archaeological data on Roman leather, they will analyze ancient leather artifacts to determine the animal's sex, origin, and geographical source used in manufacturing the leather.
The goal is to track the differences between military and civilian leather goods, variations in leather across production regions, the leather supply chain within the Roman Empire (domestic/import networks), and ultimately, Roman leather use and economy.
— Roman-era leather shoes in the Museum of London collection — Leather products rot easily and are hard to preserve compared to other materials, so while it was known that 'a lot was used in the Roman era,' systematic research has barely been done.
The start of this leather product project aims to address the fact that existing research on the Roman Empire has largely focused on 'pottery, metal objects, and stonework.'
— 2,000-year-old child's shoe found in Palmyra, Syria — The main goal is to supplement data on leather, which was central to daily Roman life but previously underdeveloped in research. It’s essentially a re-examination of Roman daily life, economy, and military through the lens of leather. Source: [Link]
"Readers are dropping historical facts about Roman army sandals (caligae) and Caligula's nickname, then immediately pivoting to why Italian leather goods are so prestigious today."
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