Roman footprint found in ancient city
Archaeologists in Israel said they've discovered a footprint from the sandal of a Roman soldier during an excavation of the ancient city of Hippos.
The print, made by a hobnailed sandal called a caliga that was worn by Roman soldiers, was found in a wall that surrounded the city by Arthur Segal from the Zinman Institute of Archaeology at the University of Haifa in conjunction with archaeologists from the Polish Academy of Sciences and Concordia University in St. Paul, Minn.
"This rare footprint, which is complete and well preserved, hints at who built the walls, how and when," said Michael Eisenberg of the Zinman Institute.
The ancient city of Hippos overlooking the Sea of Galilee was destroyed by an earthquake in the year 749.
Excavations this year have uncovered the city's colonnaded street, a marble-paneled bathhouse, a glass bottle with an embossed face and part of a marble statue.
Copyright 2007 by United Press International
