Caligae (Latin; singular
caliga) are heavy-soled military
shoeA shoe is an item of footwear evolved at first to protect the human foot and later, additionally, as an item of decoration in itself. The foot contains more bones than any other single part of the body, and has evolved over hundreds of thousands of years in relation to vastly varied terrain and...
s or
sandalsSandals are an open type of outdoor footwear, consisting of a sole held to the wearer's foot by straps or thongs passing over the instep and around the ankle...
which were worn by
Roman legionaryThe Roman legion is a term that can apply both as a translation of legio to the entire Roman army and also, more narrowly , to the heavy infantry that was the basic military unit of the ancient Roman army in the period of the late Roman Republic and the...
soldiers and auxiliaries throughout the history of the
Roman RepublicThe Roman Republic was the phase of the ancient Roman civilization characterized by a republican form of government. It began with the overthrow of the Roman monarchy, c...
and
EmpireThe Roman Empire was the post-Republican phase of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean. The term is used to describe the Roman state during and after the time of the first emperor,...
. They were worn by all ranks up to and including
centurionsA centurion , also hecatontarch in Greek sources was a professional officer of the Roman army after the Marian reforms of 107 BC. Most centurions commanded 83 men despite the commonly assumed 100, but senior centurions commanded cohorts, or took senior staff roles in their legion.Centuries, or...
.
The sandals were constructed from
leatherLeather is a material created through the tanning of hides and skins of animals, primarily cattlehide. The tanning process converts the putrescible skin into a durable and versatile material....
and laced up the center of the foot and onto the top of the ankle. Additionally, iron
hobnailIn footwear, a hobnail is a short nail with a thick head used to increase the durability of boot soles.Hobnailed boots are boots with hobnails, usually installed in a regular pattern, over the sole. They also usually have an iron horseshoe-shaped insert, called a heel iron, to strengthen the heel,...
s were hammered into the sole, serving three purposes:
- to reinforce the caligae
- to provide the soldier with better traction
- to allow the caligae to be used as a weapon (i.e.
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Caligae (Latin; singular
caliga) are heavy-soled military
shoeA shoe is an item of footwear evolved at first to protect the human foot and later, additionally, as an item of decoration in itself. The foot contains more bones than any other single part of the body, and has evolved over hundreds of thousands of years in relation to vastly varied terrain and...
s or
sandalsSandals are an open type of outdoor footwear, consisting of a sole held to the wearer's foot by straps or thongs passing over the instep and around the ankle...
which were worn by
Roman legionaryThe Roman legion is a term that can apply both as a translation of legio to the entire Roman army and also, more narrowly , to the heavy infantry that was the basic military unit of the ancient Roman army in the period of the late Roman Republic and the...
soldiers and auxiliaries throughout the history of the
Roman RepublicThe Roman Republic was the phase of the ancient Roman civilization characterized by a republican form of government. It began with the overthrow of the Roman monarchy, c...
and
EmpireThe Roman Empire was the post-Republican phase of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean. The term is used to describe the Roman state during and after the time of the first emperor,...
. They were worn by all ranks up to and including
centurionsA centurion , also hecatontarch in Greek sources was a professional officer of the Roman army after the Marian reforms of 107 BC. Most centurions commanded 83 men despite the commonly assumed 100, but senior centurions commanded cohorts, or took senior staff roles in their legion.Centuries, or...
.
The sandals were constructed from
leatherLeather is a material created through the tanning of hides and skins of animals, primarily cattlehide. The tanning process converts the putrescible skin into a durable and versatile material....
and laced up the center of the foot and onto the top of the ankle. Additionally, iron
hobnailIn footwear, a hobnail is a short nail with a thick head used to increase the durability of boot soles.Hobnailed boots are boots with hobnails, usually installed in a regular pattern, over the sole. They also usually have an iron horseshoe-shaped insert, called a heel iron, to strengthen the heel,...
s were hammered into the sole, serving three purposes:
- to reinforce the caligae
- to provide the soldier with better traction
- to allow the caligae to be used as a weapon (i.e. to allow the soldier to inflict damage by stamping)
See also
- Caligula
Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus Germanicus , more commonly known by his cognomen Caligula , was the third Roman Emperor, reigning from 16 March 37 until his assassination on 24 January 41...
(The nickname of the Emperor Gaius means 'little (soldier's) boot' and was bestowed by his father's legionaries when he was a child.)
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