Caligae (

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

; singular ) are heavy-soled

hobnail In footwear, a hobnail is a short nail with a thick head used to increase the durability of boot soles. Uses Hobnailed boots (in Scotland "tackety boots") are boots with hobnails (nails inserted into the soles of the boots), usually installe ...

ed military

sandal Sandals are an open type of footwear, consisting of a sole held to the wearer's foot by straps going over the instep and around the ankle. Sandals can also have a heel. While the distinction between sandals and other types of footwear can some ...

boots A boot is a type of footwear. Boot or Boots may also refer to: Businesses * Boot Inn, Chester, Cheshire, England * Boots (company), a high-street pharmacy chain and manufacturer of pharmaceuticals in the United Kingdom * The Boot, Cromer Stre ...

that were worn as standard issue by

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...

legionary The Roman legionary (in Latin ''legionarius'', plural ''legionarii'') was a professional heavy infantryman of the Roman army after the Marian reforms. These soldiers would conquer and defend the territories of ancient Rome during the late Republi ...

foot-soldiers and

auxilia The (, lit. "auxiliaries") were introduced as non-citizen troops attached to the citizen legions by Augustus after his reorganisation of the Imperial Roman army from 30 BC. By the 2nd century, the Auxilia contained the same number of inf ...

ries, including

cavalry Historically, cavalry (from the French word ''cavalerie'', itself derived from "cheval" meaning "horse") are soldiers or warriors who fight mounted on horseback. Cavalry were the most mobile of the combat arms, operating as light cavalry ...

History

Caligae (singular ') are heavy-duty, thick-soled

openwork Openwork or open-work is a term in art history, architecture and related fields for any technique that produces decoration by creating holes, piercings, or gaps that go right through a solid material such as metal, wood, stone, pottery, cloth, l ...

boots, with

ed soles. They were worn by the lower ranks of Roman cavalrymen and foot-soldiers, and possibly by some centurions. A durable association of caligae with the common soldiery is evident in the latter's description as ''caligati'' ("booted ones"). In the early 1st century AD, the soldiery affectionately nicknamed the two- or three-year-old

Gaius Gaius, sometimes spelled ''Gajus'', Kaius, Cajus, Caius, was a common Latin praenomen; see Gaius (praenomen). People *Gaius (jurist) (), Roman jurist *Gaius Acilius *Gaius Antonius *Gaius Antonius Hybrida *Gaius Asinius Gallus *Gaius Asinius Pol ...

"Caligula" ("little boot"), because he wore a diminutive soldier's outfit, complete with small ''caligae''. Occasionally, hobnailed ''caligae'' must have proved inconvenient, especially on hard surfaces;

Josephus Flavius Josephus (; grc-gre, Ἰώσηπος, ; 37 – 100) was a first-century Romano-Jewish historian and military leader, best known for ''The Jewish War'', who was born in Jerusalem—then part of Roman Judea—to a father of priestly d ...

describes the killing of a ''caliga''-shod Roman centurion who had slipped on the

Temple of Jerusalem The Temple in Jerusalem, or alternatively the Holy Temple (; , ), refers to the two now-destroyed religious structures that served as the central places of worship for Israelites and Jews on the modern-day Temple Mount in the Old City of Jerusa ...

's marble floor during an attack. Nevertheless, the design of the ''caliga'' allowed for its adjustment, which would have helped reduce chafing; it probably made an "ideal marching boot", and "the thunderous sound of an attack by a hobnailed army (''caligati'') must have been terrifying." ''Caligae'' would have been cooler on the march than enclosed boots. In warm,

Mediterranean climate A Mediterranean climate (also called a dry summer temperate climate ''Cs'') is a temperate climate sub-type, generally characterized by warm, dry summers and mild, fairly wet winters; these weather conditions are typically experienced in the ...

s, this may have been an advantage. In northern Britain's cold, wet climate, additional woven socks or raw wool wadding in winter may have helped insulate the feet, but ''caligae'' seemed to have been abandoned there by the end of the 2nd century AD, in favour of civilian-style "closed boots" (''carbatinae''). By the late 4th century, this seems to have applied throughout the Empire. The emperor

Diocletian Diocletian (; la, Gaius Aurelius Valerius Diocletianus, grc, Διοκλητιανός, Diokletianós; c. 242/245 – 311/312), nicknamed ''Iovius'', was Roman emperor from 284 until his abdication in 305. He was born Gaius Valerius Diocles ...

Edict on Maximum Prices The Edict on Maximum Prices (Latin: ''Edictum de Pretiis Rerum Venalium'', "Edict Concerning the Sale Price of Goods"; also known as the Edict on Prices or the Edict of Diocletian) was issued in 301 AD by Diocletian. The document denounces mono ...

(301) includes set prices for footwear described as ''caligae'', but with no hobnails, made for civilian men, women and children.

Design and manufacture

The caliga's

midsole A shoe is an item of footwear intended to protect and comfort the Foot, human foot. They are often worn with a sock. Shoes are also used as an item of decoration and fashion. The design of shoes has varied enormously through time and from cult ...

and the

upper were cut from a single piece of high quality cow or ox-hide. An

outsole A shoe is an item of footwear intended to protect and comfort the human foot. They are often worn with a sock. Shoes are also used as an item of decoration and fashion. The design of shoes has varied enormously through time and from culture to ...

was fastened to the mid-sole, using clinching

s, usually of iron but occasionally bronze. The turned-back

clinching nail In woodworking and construction, a nail is a small object made of metal (or wood, called a tree nail or "trunnel") which is used as a fastener, as a peg to hang something, or sometimes as a decoration. Generally, nails have a sharp point on one e ...

ends were covered by an

insole A shoe is an item of footwear intended to protect and comfort the Foot, human foot. They are often worn with a sock. Shoes are also used as an item of decoration and fashion. The design of shoes has varied enormously through time and from cult ...

. Like all Roman footwear, the ''caliga'' was flat-soled. It was laced up the center of the foot and onto the top of the ankle. The Spanish scholar

Isidore of Seville Isidore of Seville ( la, Isidorus Hispalensis; c. 560 – 4 April 636) was a Spanish scholar, theologian, and archbishop of Seville. He is widely regarded, in the words of 19th-century historian Montalembert, as "the last scholar of ...

believed that the name "''caliga''" derived from the Latin ''callus'' ("hard leather"), or else from the fact that the boot was laced or tied on (''ligere''). Strapwork styles varied from maker to maker and region to region. The placement of hobnails is less variable; they were positioned to give optimal grip and foot-support, much like a modern sports shoe. At least one provincial manufacturer of army ''caligae'' has been identified by name.

References

External links

*https://web.archive.org/web/20150623220048/http://www.legiotricesima.org/campusMartis/MakingCaligae/MakingAuthenticCaligae.html * http://s2.hubimg.com/u/345765_f520.jpg {{Historical clothing Ancient Roman legionary equipment Ancient Roman military clothing Sandals Historical footwear Military boots Shoes

History

Design and manufacture

See also

References

External links