Eight of 32 shoes found by archaeologists at the Magna Roman Fort in Northumberland, Italy have baffled the discoverers.

The eight leather shoes were at least 30 centimeters, or 11.8 inches, long — the equivalent of UK sizes 13 to 14, with the largest measuring 32.6 cm (12.8 in) long, BBC reports.

Archeologist Rachel Frame said the supersize shoes were found in a defensive ditch and were 2,000 years old.

As baffling as the giant shoes from the Magna Roman Fort was the theft of 53 shoes taken from a mall in Australia on 7 July.

A security camera at the Kenmore Village Shopping Centre caught a man transferring the shoes from a big bag to a trolley, New York Post (NYP) reports.

Store owner Tamara Shorrock said she lost $7,000 worth of shoes to the thief, though not for long. A week later, 51 of the stolen shoes were returned.

Police tracked down the 49-year-old suspect to Mount Gravatt East and he was arrested on 16 July, according to NYP.

The thief confessed that he mistakenly grabbed only right-foot shoes for which he is now facing theft and trespassing charges.