At the Symposium: Why Take Off our Boots ?

BYU Studies Quarterly, 1996

8. Uluslararası Erciyes Bilimsel Araştırmalar Kongresi, 2022

The Roman Empire ruled over vast lands, including Anatolia, for centuries. Despite their vast geography, the Romans created their own morals, particularly those of their culture, beliefs, and social life, which have now become images, used them in their art, and thus left many legacies for generations to come. Today, Roman culture can be encountered in a variety of settings including architecture, portable cultural assets, clothing, and footwear. The fact that art became an essential part of social life during the Roman period undoubtedly played a significant role in the identity of these visual documents that have stood the test of time. When depictions of various civilizations are examined, it is observed that works of art, particularly those of the upper class or monarchy, are crafted with greater care or detail, whereas in Roman Period works, the figures of each class are detailed and included in the composition. These works, which closely resemble real Roman life, allow us to make predictions about the social characteristics, such as clothing of the period in which they were created. Although it is possible to identify, classify, and describe Roman Empire clothing and accessories in almost all types of art, such as frescoes and mosaics, identifying the clothes in three dimensions, particularly in sculptures, allows for more realistic conclusions. The present study aims to present examples of the footwear on the statues of emperors and governor in the Roman Empire and to make a comparison based on the footwear of other social classes. The sample group of the study consists of the footwear of the emperor and governor statues exhibited in Aphrodisias and Hierapolis Ancient City Museums and Antalya Museum. Keywords: Shoes of Roman Emperors, Shoes of Roman Governors, Roman Footwear, Roman Shoes

This contribution deals with a pair of historical leather shoes, well preserved and richly decorated with arabesque motifs, which belong to the municipal collections of Castel St Elia (near Rome). The Latin world 'sandalia' usually refers to particular liturgical shoes worn by the bishop on special occasions. A few other examples from the same historical period have survived in different parts of Europe. These objects are considered an outstanding example of the cultural and artistic inter actions between Sicily and Ayyubid Egypt in the thirteenth century. Both manufacturing technology and decoration are extremely refined and seem to descend from the Coptic tradition of shoe-making. Our contribution will focus on the conservation treatment recently carried out together with scientific investigations and historical research. Choices and processes necessarily take into account their destination, as they will be exhibited in a new museum that the Istituto Superiore per la Conservazione e il Restauro is presently setting up.

Toronto/Conference: Cloth Cultures: Future Legacies of Dorothy K. Burnham. The ROM Toronto hosts an uncommonly large collection of nalbinding objects from Late Roman times. The eleven objects at the ROM, mainly socks for adults and children, are produced in a special nalbinding stitch, the so called Coptic or Tarim-stitch. Most of the socks have a separate big toe and were made to be worn with thong sandals. Dorothy Burnham was the first researcher to publish a detailed article on the manufacturing of these socks in 1972, making a point on a topic that was neglected for a long time in archaeological textile research. Despite the various other finds of such objects, scattered in museums all over the world, her article is still the main source concerning the manufacturing of late Roman nalbinding socks. Thanks to the Veronika Gervers Research Fellowship 2016 it was possible to examine the manufacturing technique of the ROM’s socks in detail and to carry on Dorothy Burnham’s work. The socks did reveal information about their production process, but also about the use of these about 1500 year old items of Late Roman life. The comparison of the socks in the ROM’s collection with other examples sheds light on general questions like the yarns used, common patterns and possible ways of mending. Finally, Roman depictions of people wearing these socks give a face to what we now would regard as a fashion faux pas – but what was probably en vogue in Roman times.

Archaeologia BALTICA, 2013

Research into individual archaeological shoe finds allows us to make assumptions concerning the differentiation of shoes according to social strata during the Renaissance period. A more complex and higher-quality shoe construction is a characteristic feature of shoes worn by people of a higher social standing.

Acta Periodica Duellatorum, 2017

Military footwear for the fifteenth century includes arming shoes worn under sabatons. Written sources suggest arming shoes and footwear used for fighting were ordinary shoes adapted for the purpose. Archaeological footwear was examined for signs of such modifications. Medieval shoe technology is presented, showing the range of footwear and its uses and gait biomechanics. Based on experiences from re-enactors wearing armours, medieval shoe styles are discussed for appropriateness as arming shoes. The question of why medieval military footwear shows no purposed development is addressed.

Cukurov 9th International Scientific Researches Conference, 2022

In accordance with literature on the historical evolution of footwear, shoes were originally created only for protection. However, this necessity has been substituted over time by aesthetics, ergonomics, and visual symbols used to indicate social distinction and even religious representation. Thus, footwear acquired a distinct character in social life and became an essential component of garment. Analyzing the footwear styles in archaeological findings and objects that have endured for centuries, it is evident that footwear was fashioned differently based on the cultures of the populations and the region in which they lived. Particularly in plastic figures and sculptures, it is observed that the portrayals in the created compositions developed under the influence of faith and acquired new formal qualities. Therefore, it is possible to state that footwear figures commenced to appear in artifacts in a particular order. To illustrate, spiritual figures are typically depicted wearing sandals, boots, and sandals prior to the birth of Jesus and his recognition as a prophet. Following Jesus, however, most spiritual figures began to be depicted barefoot. It is debatable if this is related to the transition to monotheism, but it is also reasonable to comprehend the rationale for the removal of footwear from spiritual portrayals in the compositions as a desire to create a relationship between the barefoot and the ideals of purity, cleanliness, and heaven. Analyzing Roman sculptures reveals parallels and contrasts in footwear styles, as well as gods depicted barefoot, as stated previously. The Romans, whose beliefs and values were shaped by their consumption of Greek mythology, particularly their extremely realistic sculptural designs, have allowed information regarding Roman life and religious beliefs to be transmitted to the present day. The aim of the present study is to comment on whether the footwear styles in the sample god and goddess sculptures, which express this belief in art, differ according to gender or according to the gods' and goddesses' abilities, traits, what they symbolize, and attire. Within this scope, the footwear styles on the statues of six gods and five goddesses on display at the Antalya Museum were investigated, and conclusions were drawn by comparing them with each other and with the figures on the statues of ordinary men and women.

This is the introduction to my `PhD thesis, exploring the rationale for 'rethinking the foot' within the cultural history of the body, and the pictorial and ritual practices in Rome c.1600 that acted as a prompt for this enquiry. I discuss the way in which a reconsideration of the foot in this context can invite a questioning of political and cultural models of knowledge that are based on an anthropomorphic model in which the foot is low and abject in relation to the privileged upper body, and suggest how the foot might pertain to older, pre-modern forms of knowledge that the archive and discourse at large have neglected. In this introductory chapter I set up the themes I explore across the thesis as well as the objects of my enquiry. These are three sculptures which were venerated at the foot in early modern Rome, the contact relic known as the Domine Quo Vadis? imprint stone that has been almost entirely invisible so far in scholarship; the issue of feet in Caravaggio's painting, and the foot relic of St. Teresa of Avila in the Roman church Santa Maria della Scala.