Greek footwear

[Martin Moser]

Hi Kineas

Very nice. I assume he'll stitch the sole from the inside and turn them on a last?

Probably little to nothing is known for Greek shoes, but if you look at Roman shoes of the 1st cent AD for example they are not turned but built on a last quite similar to modern ones.

Two--is that a saddle or harness stitch? Or is it a single needle overhand/running stitch? Again, as far as I can tell, double needle harness stitching is a medieval invention, but this is NOT my area of expertise for research (just for construction).

It is definitely around in caliga construction, so from the late 1st cent. BC onwards at the latest. Linen was used by then as well.

I note that the shoemaker vase doesn't have a wheel for marking--there's another vase illustration with an apprentice using an awl and nothing near him for marking holes,

Looking at original leatherwork it appears that quite often there was not much emphasis on very evenly spaced stitching. More (or less) experience and eye-measure seems to have been adequate mostly.

my info comes from:
"A Pair of Gilded Slippers" by Hannah Phillip, published in "The Journal of the American Research Center in Egypt" Vol. 7 1968, p. 73-77
For a superb article with every literary quote that pertains, see: "Greek Shoes in the Classical Period" by Arthur Alexis Bryant (Harvard Studies in Classical Philology) Vol. 10 1899, P. 57-102

Thanks for mentioning those, I'll try and find them! :-) )