Archaic Sandals

[Giannis K. Hoplite]

I don't exactly remember how i decided to make my first try on sandals but i think it was inspired by a medium sized veg tanned leather piece that was not big enough for a pelta.

While in the 5th and 4th century the most common sandal worn by warriors and travellers in the type with the many laces tied on the top of the foot with crossing cords (it is the type i developed with DSC) the typical archaic sandal has a completely different form. It is frequently represented in art,especially vases, but for a long time its exact form and construction has been a mystery to me. Its variants are worn by both men and women, in every day or war scenes. So we have to asume it was a generic shoe of the 6th century bc.
Recently i discovered a couple of beautiful aryvaloi with the form of sandaled feet. I had seen a much cruder one once, in Athens and these gave me a very good idea of what the vases show. Once again, in their simplicity, vase painters were painting every detail accurately, if you knew what you are looking at.

Achilles is wearing them in the famous vase with patroclus, so they are fit for war.
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There were different methods of attachment like we can see in these aryvaloi
First one from Rhodes:
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From Kerameikos museum in Athens
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This must be hellenistic, but it is basicly the same type of sandal
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[Giannis K. Hoplite]

Last but not least, it was this magnificent piece of an ivory statue from Delphi that motivated me in trying to reconstruct it.
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Other archeological finds i used were a pair of leather soles from the Kerameikos museum in Athens
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In these soles there were some little bronze nails or rivets attached, visible mostly around the perimeter.
Also, a find that i found very interesting, a pir of cork inner soles from a child's shoes in the Amphipolis museum. These are most probably hellenistic though.
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And here is the result!
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[Giannis K. Hoplite]

Forgive the modern letters, i didn't bother sanding them off.
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And finally the second of the pair was done today!
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It is very comfortable to wear, and it looks sturdy enough, but i will have to wear it in real conditions for a while to report how they perform.
I also have some ideal for different ways of "closing" or tieing them, perhaps i will try them on a next, simpler pair.
This was also my first tooling experience ever. With lack of any tools (i used bic pens and a scre driver and similar stuff), i am pleased with the first result, but there is potential with specialized tools, or perhaps i need to make my own, according to the needs of every piece.
Khairete
Giannis

[Kallithrix]

Nice legs - I mean, er - sandals

I particularly like the tooling - I hope to try some on the next pair I make

Lovely job, Giannis. Well done.

[etrusker86]

Great work Giannis!

How thick is the sole of those sandals? Cause they look very thin and elastic on the vase painting with Achilles, while yours and those on the terra-cotta feet look by far more sturdy.

And again congrats on the great job!

[Giannis K. Hoplite]

Thank you both.
Jackie, be sure to post your work when or while you make them.

Patrick, the sole is 1.1 cm or 1.6 cm if we count the cork sole. I don't believe there was a rule of how thick the soles were. Statues show both thin and thick soles.
Khairete
Giannis

[joeandmich]

Let us know how they workout running etc.

[etrusker86]

That is true their was probably no pair of sandals/shoes in antiquity that was like the next.
I just thought that the soles looked a bit too thick in proportion to the rest of the shoe or in comparison to others worn by different re-enactors.
By the way you did a good job with the patterns on the leather strap. Must have been a lot of work with the "tools" you used.
Well I am curious to hear how your field tests worked out.

[Daniel S.]

Looking good! And nice to see a picture of you with an aspis!

It looks like the rivets mainly serve the purpose of holding the sandals together. Do you find that to be the case or do you think they could provide extra grip on some surfaces?

[Aryan Steels]

Congratulations on the excellent craftsmanship.

I think that the rivets used were of dual purposes,holding the sandals together and also giving grip to the rough surfaces.

Suhel

[Giannis K. Hoplite]

So, i have worn the sandals for a whole day in the countryside. They have held well, no real signs of stress. They are very comfortable and didn't cause my any pains. After dipping them in olive oil they became a lot softer, and this cause to them stretching a bit. I keep it as a note for the next pair, but it didn't really cause any problems. I just don't have to worry about making them too tight.


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Khairete
Giannis

[Gaius Julius Caesar]

Thanks for posting the photos Giannis.
Foot wear is pretty important, in every era.
Have you done a set with hob-nails?
Also have you worn greaves with these?

[Giannis K. Hoplite]

Foot wear is indeed very important. I haven't done a hob-nailed version but i plan to do it in one of the next pairs. This is my first try on foot wear. Till now i had only designed but not made them myself.

I haven't worn greaves, but i will probably have my greaves before summer. I actually made these sandals to be worn with greaves, and with the "ankle thingy" i made to suport the greaves (exactly like in the Achilles and Patroclus vase above) i hope i won't have any problem.
Khaire
Giannis

[Gaius Julius Caesar]

Interesting, I had always seen those as attached to the lacing system of the boot!
And btw, the tooling looks very professional. Well done!

[Giannis K. Hoplite]

Thank you Byron!

There are many vases that show these special paddings and in fact in the above vase the colour of the padding is red, whereas the sandal is black.

Khaire
Giannis