The Third Leader: Playing footsie

Can there be anyone with imagination and curiosity who has not at some time considered the attractions of archaeology? Schliemann at Troy, Evans at Knossos, Carter in the Valley of the Kings: the pull of the past, the thrill of the find, the shedding of light by now on then: all this must, surely, outweigh the drudgery of trowel in trench, the dodgy haircuts, and the possibility of bumping into Tony Robinson.

Can there be anyone with imagination and curiosity who has not at some time considered the attractions of archaeology? Schliemann at Troy, Evans at Knossos, Carter in the Valley of the Kings: the pull of the past, the thrill of the find, the shedding of light by now on then: all this must, surely, outweigh the drudgery of trowel in trench, the dodgy haircuts, and the possibility of bumping into Tony Robinson.

Why, the magic is invested in even the humblest of artefacts, as we can see from the excitement that has greeted the discovery of Britain's oldest shoe in a hollowed-out tree trunk found at an Iron Age site in Somerset.

Whose shoe was it? What size is it? What is it made of? What was it doing where it was found? Early days, of course, but the consensus seems to be 1) a man's, 2) size 10, 3) leather, and 4) search me.

The archaeologists are being cautious; but, if my close studies of the television coverage are anything to go by, they will eventually plump for some connection with human sacrifice. You must have noticed.

Journalists, on the other hand, with that breezy licence allowed to writers of the first draft, are pointing out the site is near Wellington, and is "just over 30 miles away from the town of Street, also in Somerset, where the shoe firm Clarks is based".

Hmmm. For my part, I would counsel against that size 10 definitely indicating a man: if they can have hobbits in Indonesia, why can't we have big women in Somerset? More shoes to spare, too, usually, in my experience. Nor, I suggest, should we necessarily rush to rule out someone with one leg. Tony?