| LEGIO XX ONLINE HANDBOOK
CALIGAE
3/16/08
Click here for patterns
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These heavy sandals are the
classic
Roman army boot. Numerous examples have been found at
first-century
sites.
Construction involves a
lot of
careful cutting but is otherwise straightforward. The upper is
cut
from a single piece of 3 to 6-ounce leather, well-oiled (with
neatsfoot
oil) to prevent decay. The sole is one-half to three-quarters
inch
thick and is made of several thick layers (8-ounce or heavier), with
the
upper sandwiched between the top two. The layers are held
together
with hobnails: lay them on an anvil or flat piece of steel, and
drive
the nails into the sole so that the points go through the innermost
layer
and bend over as they hit the steel. Cover the clenched points
with
an additional insole of leather, felt, or sheepskin, securing it in
place
with a few stitches. Complete the shoe by sewing up the heel seam
with a butted or overlapped seam.
Click
here for Leatherworking Tips.
|
 |
| One of the caligae above
at right
is shown loosely laced with a white cord to make the lacing easier to
see.
The lace is threaded criss-cross through the slits in the tabs or
straps
just like a modern shoe is laced. (There are no clear depictions
of the laces in military caligae, but there are many depictions of
civilian
shoes laced in this fashion.)
The tabs or straps are
made long
enough to meet in the middle and turn upwards, reaching another half to
three-quarters of an inch. The slits should end just short of the
point where the tabs turn upwards.
The caligae at bottom
right are
sewn up the back with a butted seam, though other methods are also
acceptable.
See also the footwear at
the bottom
of the Civilian Clothing page, and Socks
on
the Cold Weather Clothing page.
|
 |
Original caliga photo, German
Leather Museum, http://www.ledermuseum.de/DLM/vollbild/seiten/03.htm
Original caliga at the French
National Archaeological Museum, by Zack Smith, http://home.comcast.net/~plutarch/caligae.html
The conical or domed iron hobnails
should be about .25" to .5" in diameter. The heads need not be
perfectly
shaped--irregular or flatter shapes are acceptable. World War I
or
II-style hobnails will work, or "Antique Nails" from some hardware
stores--currently
we use five-eighths-inch "Decorative Wrought Head Nails" from Tremont
Nails (see Suppliers
list). Upholstery
tacks are not durable enough.
 |
Before cutting good leather,
make a working
mock-up out of vinyl, junk leather, or heavy cloth. DO NOT MAKE
THE
SOLES TOO WIDE--trace your foot and cut the soles narrower by 1/4" on
each
side. Make the tabs extra long and the slits shorter than
necessary,
and adjust them later.
One clever trick for making a
pattern
is to put on an old sock and cover it (not too tightly) with a couple
layers
of duct tape. Then cut it carefully off, slitting it down the
front
and back, and open it out flat. Use this as the basis for
your
mockup, remembering that the tabs need to extend beyond the cut
top/front
edges of the taped sock by an inch or so (because the edges of the
taped
sock just meet in the middle, while the tabs of the caligae sort of
overlap,
right?).
At left is the sole of a
civilian shoe,
showing a very typical nail pattern of simple straight lines. At
right is a variation of the circle-and-line pattern, a stick-figure
barbarian
on his knees, begging for mercy. The idea is that he is
trodden
underfoot with every step!
Click here for
patterns
|
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Making Authentic Caligae
"how-to" page, by Lee Holeva, http://www.geocities.com/legio_tricesima_cohors_tres/campusMartis/MakingCaligae/MakingAuthenticCaligae.html
Good caligae can be purchased
from William Stephenson (Uilliam AT aol DOT com), or Saddler's Den. A
couple other options are shown on the Suppliers
page.
The latest version of
Deepeeka's
caligae are much improved from their older ones, but are still too
wide,
and the leather and nails are not great.
As usual, don't go near Museum
Replicas. See also the page of Things to Avoid.
FOCALE
The focale is a scarf or
neckerchief
worn to protect the neck from being pinched or chafed by the
armor.
It was apparently introduced at the same time as the lorica segmentata,
but quickly became popular even with troops who wore different types of
armor. Its shape is difficult to determine but probably varied,
and
there is little evidence for its color.
Legio XX treats the focale as a
nonstandard item. It may be linen or wool of any reasonable
color,
and can be triangular (cut or folded from a 24" to 36" square) or a
long
strip. Remember to hem the edges by hand. The focale may be
knotted at the throat or simply tucked into place, but may NOT be
pinned
with a brooch of any sort.
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